L 


BANCROFT 

LIBRARY 

I 

RANCH    LIFE 

AND     OTHER     SKETCHES 

By 
Michael  Hendrick  Fitch 


Author  of 

"Echoes  of  the  Civil  War  as  I  Hear  Them" 

"The  Physical  Basis  of  Mind  and  Morals" 

"The  Chattanooga  Campaign"  and 

"Universal  Evolution" 


PUEBLO 

THE  FRANKLIN  PRESS  COMPANY 
1914 


777 


Copyright.  1914 
By    MICHAEL  H.    FITCH 


u.  c. 

ACADEMY   OF 

PACIFIC  COAST 

HISTORY 


CONTENTS 

PUEBLO  AND  ITS  ENVIRONMENTS. 

Page 

Colorado  in   1870 9 

Ranch  Life  in  Colorado 24 

Historic  Pueblo 88 

Pioneers       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -115 

The   Old   Santa   Fe  Trail 133 

Address  to  State  Realty  Association    -       -       -       -  135 

PATRIOTIC  ADDRESSES. 

George  Washington 142 

The  Battle  of  Lexington         -       -       -       -       -       -158 

Virginia  and  Massachusetts -178 

Our  Flag 201 

Lincoln-Washington  Campfire 206 

President  McKinley 209 

Chattanooga  Address,  1907 215 

The  Basis  of  Representative  Government    -       -       -  245 

MISCELLANIES. 

Our  Negro  Citizens 260 

Address  at  Clermont  Academy  in  1887       -  265 

Remarks  upon  James  K.  Parker  and  Wife,  1901       -  269 

The  Sensible  Chinese 272 

Letter  to  Twenty-First  Wisconsin  Regimental 

Association,   1912 276 

The  Mocking  Bird 281 

The  Eminent  Men  of  the  Past 285 

Death  and  the  Soul  --- 291 

Death 297 

A  Sixth  Sense -       -  301 

The  Nebular  Theory 305 

The  Boomerang  Features  of  War 307 

Kepler's  Three  Laws  of  Planetary  Motion  -  308 

The  Wonderful  Capabalities  of  the  Brain    -       -       -  310 

Early  Advocates  of  Women's  Suffrage       -       -       -  311 


PUEBLO  AND  ITS  ENVIRONMENT 


COLORADO   IN   1870 


IN  the  latter  part  of  May,  1870,  an  American, 
seeking  a  more  congenial  clime  and  sunnier 
skies  within  the  confines  of  his  own  country, 
boarded  a  railway  train  in  Chicago.  The  blue 
grass  region  of  Kentucky  had  been  his  home  for 
the  first  nine  years  of  his  life;  the  next  fourteen 
years  he  spent  in  a  county  of  Southern  Ohio,  bor- 
dering the  Ohio  river;  the  last  ten  in  Wisconsin. 
Four  years  of  the  latter  period  were  spent  as  a 
Union  soldier  in  the  Civil  war,  and  the  succeeding 
three  years  as  a  civil  officer  of  the  national  gov- 
ernment. His  object  in  taking  this  train  was  to 
visit  the  territory  of  Colorado,  Denver  being  his 
immediate  destination.  At  that  time  the  railroad 
fare  from  Chicago  to  Denver  on  the  Union  Pacific 
was  $70.  This  fact  is  not  interesting  except  by 
contrast  with  the  present  fare,  $22.60  (1914). 
But  during  the  first  eight  days  of  June  no  rail 
had  reached  Denver.  The  Union  Pacific  had  been 
built  on  a  parallel  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles 
north  of  Denver  through  Cheyenne,  a  road  called 
the  Denver  Pacific  then  being  built  to  connect 
Denver  with  Cheyenne.  The  end  of  this  road  re- 


10  RANCH     LIFE 

mained  twenty  miles  north  of  Denver  when  the 
American  came  to  Colorado,  arriving  the  first 
week  of  June,  1870.  Stage  coaches  transported 
the  passengers  from  the  terminus,  Hughes,  now 
called  Brighton,  to  Denver,  then  a  town  of  4750 
inhabitants.  The  best  stopping  place  proved  to 
be  the  Broadwell  House,  at  the  corner  of  Larimer 
and  Sixteenth  streets.  This  hotel,  a  frame  house 
with  wide  shed  roof  reaching  out  to  the  curb- 
stone, thus  making  a  porch  of  the  sidewalk,  was 
kept  by  James  M.  Broadwell.  The  site  is  now  oc- 
cupied by  the  first  Tabor  block,  a  stone  structure, 
the  best  building  when  built  in  the  city,  but  now 
out  of  date. 

On  the  train  spoken  of  there  arrived  at  the 
site  of  Greeley  Mr.  N.  C.  Meeker,  the  founder  and 
president  of  that  colony.  Several  years  later  he 
was  appointed  agent  to  the  Ute  Indians  on  White 
river  and  massacred  by  those  savages.  He  was  a 
scholarly,  mild  mannered  man.  The  town  of 
Meeker  on  White  river,  named  after  him,  is  lo- 
cated near  where  the  killing  occurred.  Several 
passengers  disembarked  at  Greeley  with  Mr. 
Meeker.  The  place  was  then  without  houses, 
only  a  few  tents  occupying  the  site,  but  there 
were  acres  of  sage  brush  and  cacti.  The  colony 
soon  had  a  ditch,  bringing  water  from  the  Cache 
La  Poudre  river,  covering  some  of  the  land.  The 
ground  absorbed  so  much  of  the  water  the  first 
year  that  the  farmers  were  complaining  and 


COLORADO     IN      1  8  7  0  11 

scrambling  for  enough  to  irrigate  the  first  crops. 
But  now,  in  1914,  they  have  five  or  six  ditches 
from  the  same  stream,  one  above  the  other,  and 
all  have  plenty  of  water.  The  reason  of  this 
difference  is  that  the  subsoil  has  become  saturated 
and  the  low  spots  have  to  be  drained.  This  ex- 
periment of  locating  a  union  colony  of  farmers  at 
the  place  where  Greeley  now  stands,  has  evolved 
in  forty-four  years  into  one  of  the  most  fertile 
and  wealthy  farming  districts  in  this  country. 
From  the  cars  that  now  pass  through  that  region 
the  passengers  see  no  wild  grass,  sage  brush,  nor 
cacti,  but  a  garden  spot  producing  fabulously  of 
alfalfa,  wheat,  potatoes,  cabbage,  onions  and 
sugar  beets. 

Denver  then  was  a  town  of  scattering  houses. 
The  old  American  House  had  been  built  of  brick. 
Former  Governor  Evans  and  also  Governor  Gil- 
pin  were  citizens,  but  Edward  M.  McCook  was  the 
Governor.  The  Denver  News  and  Tribune  were 
the  daily  papers,  W.  N.  Byers  being  the  proprietor 
of  the  former  and  Henry  C.  Brown  of  the  latter. 
A.  Jacobs  owned  a  well  equipped  line  of  stages 
which  ran  from  Denver  to  Pueblo,  each  stage 
drawn  by  four  fine  horses,  with  relay  stations  lo- 
cated every  fourteen  miles.  A  stage  would  start  in 
the  morning  at  a  certain  hour  from  each  end  of 
the  line  and  make  the  distance,  120  miles,  by  a 
certain  hour  in  the  evening,  the  fare  $20.00  each 
way.  The  route  from  Denver  proceeded  via 


12  RANCH      LIFE 

Cherry  Creek  to  Franktown  (named  after  Frank 
M.  Gardner,  the  owner),  over  the  divide  about 
four  miles  east  of  Palmer  Lake  and  thence  into 
old  Colorado  City,  thence  down  the  Fountain 
river  to  Pueblo.  The  American's  destination  was 
the  ranch  on  the  little  Fountain,  known  formerly 
as  the  Geiser  ranch,  three  and  one-half  miles  west 
of  the  present  town  of  Fountain  City.  This  latter 
place  was  then  known  as  Terrellville,  there  being 
merely  a  house  and  a  grout  store  building.  Amos 
Terrell  was  the  pioneer  living  in  the  house.  In 
going  from  Terrellville  to  the  Geiser  ranch  the 
road  led  over  a  bluff  and  high  mesa  then  dropped 
down  into  the  valley  of  the  Little  Fountain.  Here 
a  wide  bottom  very  level  and  in  the  midst  of  it 
the  ranch  house,  stables,  corrals  and  a  large 
meadow  of  natural  blue  stem  grass  greeted  the 
eye.  This  meadow  produced  a  great  quantity  of 
fine  hay — perhaps  a  hundred  tons — each  season. 
Outside  the  meadow  was  merely  dry  prairie. 
Harvey  Ring  managed  the  ranch.  He  lived  roy- 
ally, drove  a  fine  team  of  white  trotters  and  en- 
tertained like  a  true  Colorado  ranchman.  The 
American  came  here  as  his  guest  until  he  could 
locate  his  family  which  was  then  in  the  East. 
Staying  there  two  or  three  weeks  he  finally  lo- 
cated on  a  ranch  on  the  Arkansas  River  three 
miles  west  of  Pueblo. 

The  feelings  of  one  making  this  change  from 
an  eastern  climate  to  that  of  Colorado  are  those  of 


COLORADO     IN      1870  13 

contentment  and  pleasure.  The  environment  dif- 
fered greatly  from  that  of  the  Lake  region  at  Chi- 
cago. The  Colorado  air  is  luxuriant.  The  soil,  the 
vegetation,  the  fauna,  the  scenery  generally  are 
all  entirely  different  from  those  of  the  eastern 
states. 

The  physical  features  of  the  country  were 
those  peculiar  to  a  semi-arid  region.  To  one  com- 
ing from  the  states  east  of  the  Mississippi  river, 
Colorado  presented  in  the  early  70's  and  prior  to 
that  date,  the  aspect  of  an  entirely  new  and  un- 
developed region.  The  contour  of  the  earth's 
surface,  and  the  general  features  were  entirely 
different  from  that  of  the  humid  climate  and 
wooded  surface  he  had  left  behind.  The  at- 
mosphere acted  as  a  tonic  upon  the  newcomer, 
giving  a  vivid  feeling  of  a  more  virile  life.  The 
broad,  treeless  prairies  and  scant  foliage  of  the 
region  west  of  the  one  hundreth  meridian  of 
longitude,  where  Dodge  City,  Kansas,  is  now  lo- 
cated, to  the  foot  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  had 
no  parallel  east  of  the  Mississippi.  The  altitude 
increases  rapidly  toward  the  west.  Sage  brush, 
soap  weed,  buffalo,  gramma  and  bunch  grasses 
were  everywhere,  but  not  a  tree  in  sight,  except 
the  cottonwood  and  some  willows  bordering  every 
stream.  The  absence  of  any  real  woods  and  the 
scarcity  of  rainfall  marked  off  the  very  striking 
differences  between  this  and  a  humid  climate. 
The  sunshine  was  comparatively  constant  and 


14  RANCH      LIFE 

seemed  to  revivify  and  renew  the  life  that  had,  in 
the  east,  become  withered.  The  rainfall,  includ- 
ing melted  snow,  averages  twelve  inches  annually. 
The  paucity  of  the  moisture  makes  possible  the 
nutritious  winter  feed  on  the  prairies  for  cattle, 
horses  and  sheep,  accounts  for  the  clear  atmos- 
phere, so  delicious  to  breathe,  the  three  hundred 
sunshiny  days  in  the  year,  and  brings  the  rattle- 
snake from  his  prairie  dog  hole  on  many  a  Christ- 
mas Day.  If  this  correlation  of  physical  conditions 
thus  acts  on  the  cold-blooded  reptile,  what  physio- 
logical wonders  it  works  upon  the  warm  blooded 
vertebrate  who  stands  erect,  breathes  through  a 
pair  of  weak  lungs  and  lets  his  whole  being  re- 
spond to  the  life-giving  rays  of  the  sun ! 

Buffalo,  antelope,  jack  rabbits,  coyotes  and 
prairie  dogs  were  numerous,  but  not  a  deer  nor  a 
quail,  nor  a  squirrel  was  visible  east  of  the  foot- 
hills in  Colorado.  In  the  pine  woods  on  the  foot- 
hills called  the  Divide,  were  black  squirrels,  and 
in  the  timbered  regions  of  the  mountain  sides 
numerous  deer,  but  no  quail  are  found  within  the 
confines  of  the  state.  But  when  cattle,  horses  and 
sheep  were  imported,  they  throve  on  the  open 
range  winter  and  summer,  as  well  as  did  the  ante- 
lope and  buffalo,  without  shelter  or  other  feed 
than  the  nutritious  native  grasses. 

It  was  a  delight  to  walk  through  the  meadows 
and  get  the  aroma  of  the  grasses  and  exquisite 
flowers.  The  flowers  of  Colorado  are  brighter  in 


COLORADO     IN      1  8  7  0  15 

color  than  those  of  the  eastern  states,  yet  they 
are  not  so  fragrant.  In  spots  favorable  for  some 
moisture,  but  not  too  damp,  the  wild  rose  grew  in 
profusion.  The  primrose  grows  in  early  spring 
from  the  crevices  of  the  shale  in  the  dryest  spots. 
A  species  of  the  daisy  was  numerous.  A  flower, 
known  most  generally  as  the  Indian  paint  brush, 
but  which  might  appropriately  be  called  the  flame 
flower,  because  it  is  just  the  color  of  the  flame 
of  a  wood  fire,  was  seen  occasionally  in  the  cedar 
brakes  and  on  the  higher  foot-hills  in  greater 
numbers.  It  is  a  very  striking  flower.  The  sun 
flower  grew  wherever  the  surface  was  broken. 
In  the  high  mountain  reaches,  where  the  native 
grasses  are  most  luxuriant,  will  be  found  the 
beautiful  Columbines,  the  Colorado  State  flower. 
Wherever  they  are,  will  also  be  the  bumble-bee 
nests.  They  can  be  fertilized  only  by  the  queen 
bumble-bee,  for  only  she  has  a  bill  long  enough  to 
reach  the  nectar  in  the  bottom  of  the  flower.  In 
doing  so,  she  carries  on  her  body  some  of  the 
pollen  which  fertilizes  the  ovules  of  the  female 
stocks.  The  species  is  thus  perpetuated.  In  June 
a  beautiful  bouquet  could  be  made  from  the  flow- 
ers picked  from  the  prairie.  In  fact,  the  botany 
of  Colorado  is  very  curious  and  interesting.  The 
trees  are  few  in  varieties,  being  confined  to  the 
cottonwood  along  the  margins  of  streams,  the 
scrub  cedar  on  the  dry  bluffs,  and  the  pinon  on  the 
higher  foot-hills.  In  the  valleys  of  the  Fountain, 


16  RANCH      LIFE 

the  Arkansas  and  the  St.  Charles  the  wild  plum 
abounds.  The  wild  grape  and  hop  vine  grows  in 
profusion.  The  willow  flourishes  in  the  moister 
places.  The  grasses  are  numerous  in  variety. 
The  blue  stem  is  the  natural  meadow  grass.  The 
best  grazing  grass  is  the  gramma  and  this,  when 
irrigated,  makes  fine  hay.  There  grows,  in  the 
low  bottoms,  a  heavy  grass  with  a  large  head, 
which  may  be  called  rice  grass,  which  makes  fine 
hay.  There  is  no  true  buffalo  grass  around 
Pueblo.  It  grows  in  the  eastern  border  of  Colo- 
rado and  in  Kansas.  A  range  covered  with 
gramma  grass  will  fatten  horses  in  the  spring 
quicker  than  will  a  blue  grass  pasture  in  the  east. 
There  is  also  a  grass  on  the  prairie  which  grows 
in  bunches,  but  it  is  likely  the  true  bunch  grass 
of  Montana  does  not  grow  here.  The  cacti,  sage 
brush  and  grease  wood  abound  everywhere  on 
the  stretches  running  from  the  borders  of  the 
streams  to  the  foot  hills.  The  cacti  bear  two  col- 
ors, red  and  yellow  ffowers.  The  flower  is  beau- 
tiful and  cattle  eagerly  eat  it.  The  sage  brush 
produces  a  mass  of  seed  and  after  the  frost,  in 
the  autumn,  has  worked  its  magical  chemical  pro- 
cesses on  both  leaf  and  seed,  cattle  would,  in  the 
early  days,  grow  fat  in  the  winter  season  on  their 
oily  and  spicy  contents. 

It  would  be  most  interesting  to  write  about 
the  birds  of  Colorado.  The  wild  goose,  the  duck, 
the  mountain  grouse,  the  dove,  are  edible  species, 


COLORADO      IN      1870  17 

but  the  magpie,  the  night  and  fish  hawks,  the  owl 
and  the  buzzard  are  peculiar.  An  article  could  be 
written  upon  the  wild  duck  alone.  But  that  must 
be  reserved  for  another  sketch,  perhaps  in  connec- 
tion with  ranch  life  in  Colorado,  or  fly  fishing  in 
the  mountain  streams. 

At  the  ranch  on  the  Little  Fountain  the  Chey- 
enne Mountains  were  several  miles  to  the  north, 
yet,  on  account  of  the  very  clear  atmosphere,  they 
appeared  to  be  very  near.  Pike's  Peak  looked 
down  in  magnificent  majesty,  crowned  with  his 
nimbus  of  snow.  One's  appetite  grows  phenome- 
nally in  such  an  environment,  but  the  table,  set 
with  fine  home  made  bread,  butter,  mutton  and 
ranch  vegetables  fully  satisfied  it.  Drives  to  the 
neighboring  ranches  revealed  a  population,  though 
sparse,  yet  contended,  happy  and  prosperous. 
Every  one  had  plenty.  Stock-raising  was  the 
principal  occupation.  There  were  some  fine 
farms  along  the  main  stream  of  the  Fountain.  At 
the  junction  of  the  Little  Fountain  and  the  main 
river,  Woodbury  &  Lincoln  had  a  store  and 
possessed  fine  meadows.  Above  these,  all  the  way 
to  Colorado  City,  were  farms  and  meadows.  From 
there  all  the  way  south  to  Pueblo  a  great  deal  of 
farming  was  done,  corn  seeming  to  be  the  prin- 
cipal crop.  Dr.  Dickinson,  Mr.  John  Irvine,  Mr. 
Robinson,  Wm.  H.  Young,  Glaus  Wildeboor,  Mr. 
Sutherland  and  Matthew  Steele  are  those  now  re- 
membered as  having  farms  some  of  them  being 


18  RANCH      LIFE 

quite  extensive.  Edward  Cozzens  lived  where 
Work's  Woodcroft  Sanitarium  now  stands.  They 
all  had  herds  of  cattle  or  horses  grazing  on  the 
open  prairie.  The  main  dependence  was  on  stock- 
raising.  The  burro,  as  a  burden  bearer,  called  by 
the  pioneer  a  mountain  canary,  because  of  his  un- 
earthly braying,  was  in  strong  evidence. 

The  valley  of  the  Fountain  has  been  above 
described,  but  here  and  there  throughout  Pueblo 
County,  at  the  head  of  all  the  streams  and  along 
their  borders  lived  ranchmen.  In  some  instances 
they  farmed  the  land  but  stock-raising  formed 
the  main  business.  Captain  Craig,  Peter  Dotson 
and  Judge  Fields  had  large  cultivated  tracts. 
George  M.  Chilcott  on  the  Arkansas  River  and 
the  Hicklins  on  the  Grenaros  had  fine  ranches. 
In  those  days  there  were  no  fences  of  any  kind 
and  cattle  roamed  at  will,  having  access  to  water 
anywhere  along  the  streams.  In  the  river  bot- 
toms adjoining  Pueblo  grew  a  wild  tangle  of 
grape  vines,  wild  plum  groves,  willows  and  young 
cottonwoods.  There  were  no  railroads  until  1872. 
The  real  pioneer,  who  followed  closely  the  Indian 
habits,  lived  in  a  wicky-up  dressed  in  a  Mexican 
sombrero  and  a  six  shooter,  fled  from  the  sound 
of  the  locomotive  whistle  in  1872.  Also  many  a 
well-to-do  ranchman,  who  possessed  large  herds 
and  cut  stacks  of  native  hay,  upon  the  coming 
of  the  railroad  train,  sold  his  ranch  to  a  tender- 
foot and  drove  his  herd  to  new  locations  beyond 


COLORADO      IN      1870  19 

the  supposed  reach  of  modern  civilization.  So  it 
was  with  many  of  the  early  residents  in  Pueblo. 
When  new  faces  began  to  appear  in  increased 
numbers  and  the  price  of  a  town  lot  rose  above 
the  value  of  a  horse  or  a  cow  they  moved  to  more 
congenial  climes  in  western  Colorado,  New  Mex- 
ico and  Arizona. 

The  American  made  his  first  visit  to  Pueblo 
on  horseback  down  this  valley  of  the  Fountain, 
past  these  ranches  located  thereon  in  early  June, 
1870.  The  distance  from  the  Geiser  ranch  is  thirty 
miles.  The  road,  a  mere  wagon  trail,  long  used, 
dry  and  hard,  proved  to  be  an  uncommonly  good 
one.  Low  hills  on  the  right,  separating  the  valley 
from  the  mesa  lands  beyond,  the  river  with  but 
little  water  lined  with  cottonwood  timber  and 
undergrowth,  on  the  left,  furnished  a  perfect  line 
of  travel  from  north  to  south  until  the  bluffs  of 
the  Arkansas  River  were  reached.  An  occasional 
ranch  adjoined  the  stream,  the  cornfields  being 
then  in  prime  growing  condition,  green  and  wav- 
ing. Many  natural  meadows,  cleared  of  weeds 
and  sage-brush  gave  evidence  that  winter  feed 
would  be  provided  for  stock.  Alfalfa  was  not  at 
that  time  cultivated;  it  subsequently,  however, 
became  the  chief  crop  of  all  ranches. 

A  peculiar  feature  of  early  Colorado  was  the 
adobe,  or  sundried  brick  and  the  houses  built  of 
them.  Nothing  of  the  kind  could  be  seen  in  the 
eastern  states.  The  heavy  annual  rainfall  there 


20  RANCHLIFE 

prevents  the  building  of  such  houses.  The  eastern 
clay  would  not  make  adobes.  It  is  the  peculiar 
tenacity  and  hardness  of  the  adobe  soil  of  Colo- 
rado and  the  arid  region  generally,  that  makes 
such  good  and  cheap  building  material  of  that 
clay.  A  one-story  adobe  house  with  a  good  dirt 
roof,  while  not  very  elegant  in  appearance,  nor 
clean  for  a  fastidious  housewife,  was  warm  in 
winter  and  cool  in  summer.  When  the  door  sill 
was  constructed  high  enough  to  keep  out  the 
skunks  it  served  the  unpretending  and  impecu- 
nious pioneer,  being  far  superior  in  every  way  to 
the  squatters'  sod  cabins  of  the  Kansas  home- 
steaders. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  Western  slope 
of  the  Territory  of  Colorado  in  1870  still  remained 
an  Indian  Reservation.  What  is  called  the  Gunni- 
son  country  was  unoccupied  by  the  white  man. 
It  had  no  railway  and  no  communication  with  the 
rest  of  the  world.  At  the  time  of  the  Meeker  mas- 
sacre in  1878,  all  the  region  west  of  the  main 
range  was  unknown  except  to  the  Indians,  the 
government  agent  and  a  few  mining  prospectors. 
But  after  carbonates  were  discovered  at  Leadville 
in  1878,  and  silver  in  the  San  Juan  region  of 
southwest  Colorado,  railways  were  soon  built  in 
both  sections.  Canon  City  was  the  only  town  west 
of  Pueblo,  all  beyond  being  terra  incognita.  The 
crossings  of  the  Platte,  where  Denver  now  stands ; 
of  the  Arkansas  where  Pueblo  is  now  located,  and 


COLORADO      IN      1870  21 

the  Purgatoire  where  Trinidad  now  exists  as  a 
city,  were  mere  available  points  on  the  trail  be- 
tween military  forts  on  the  north,  such  as  Fort 
Laramie,  and  Fort  Union  in  New  Mexico,  in  the 
south,  and  where  aggregations  of  population 
naturally  settled  and  became  permanent. 

The  present  climate  and  the  resulting  flora 
and  fauna  are  due  to  the  lack  of  moisture  and  the 
high  altitude.  Pueblo  is  higher  from  the  sea 
level  than  any  point  in  the  Alleghany  Mountains 
in  Pensylvania,  Virginia,  or  Maryland,  and  only 
two  thousand  feet  less  in  height  than  the  highest 
peak  in  the  White  Mountains  of  New  England; 
its  altitude  being  four  thousand  six  hundred  and 
sixty-seven  feet.  The  altitude  and  the  aridity 
are  the  real  causes  of  the  peculiarity  of  its  flora 
and  fauna.  This  was  not  always  so,  and  no  one 
can  measure  by  years  the  date  of  the  beginning 
of  the  present  physical  peculiarities  of  this  region. 
Far  back  in  the  Cretaceous  Epoch  the  ocean  rolled 
over  the  site  of  Pueblo  as  high  as  Pike's  Peak. 
As  that  ancient  ocean  receded  and  the  Rocky 
Mountains  were  lifted  up  by  the  internal  forces 
of  the  earth,  the  soil  and  gravel  which  now  cover 
the  rock  strata  were  washed  down  from  the  moun- 
tain heights.  The  sandstone,  lime  rock  and  the 
shales  which  lie  in  such  regular  order,  through 
which  the  Arkansas  river  has  cut  its  channel, 
were  deposited  in  successive  layers  by  the  ocean 
waters.  In  that  remote  age  the  climate  was 


22  RANCHLIPE 

moister  and  perhaps  warmer  than  now.  The  im- 
mense Colorado  coal  measures  show  that  at  or  be- 
fore the  Cretaceous  Epoch  luxuriant  tree  ferns 
covered  the  land,  which  is  now  able  in  its  present 
state  to  produce  only  the  natural  grasses,  the  sage 
brush,  the  cacti,  the  cedar  and  pinon.  But  man 
did  not  exist  when  the  forests  and  swamps  cov- 
ered the  land.  He  is  here  now  and  is  changing 
the  cacti  and  sage  brush  into  alfalfa,  corn,  sugar 
beets,  delicious  melons  and  the  product  of  the  or- 
chard. The  Indian  was  not  able  to  make  this 
change  nor  could  the  present  inhabitants  convert 
this  prairie  wilderness  into  a  garden  for  the  abode 
of  civilized  millions  yet  to  come,  until  they  were 
preceded  by  the  pioneer  with  his  horse,  rifle  and 
knife.  Thanks  to  the  factors,  heretofore  spoken 
of  and  the  warm  Japan  winds  from  the  Pacific 
coast,  Colorado  has  a  very  fine  climate.  Here  in 
the  bottom  of  that  Cretacean  ocean  is  being  built 
an  empire  the  greatness  of  which  no  man  living 
now  can  estimate. 

It  was  thought  the  prophecies  of  Governor 
William  Gilpin  in  1870  and  before,  regarding  the 
future  of  Colorado  were  poetic  fancies,  but  they 
have  been  already  largely  realized.  No  one  be- 
lieved Mr.  Lagrange,  of  Greeley,  in  the  70's,  when 
he  said  Colorado  could  raise  enough  agricultural 
products  to  support  a  population  of  three  millions. 
The  popular  idea  rather  coincided  with  that  of 
Senator  J.  B.  Chaffee's,  who  said,  a  man  was  a 


COLORADO     IN      1870  23 

fool  to  try  to  farm  in  Colorado  and  he  also 
thought  Denver  might  eventually  grow  to  contain 
a  hundred  thousand  population,  but  no  more.  Now 
with  the  prospects  of  dry  farming,  the  possible 
conservation  of  water  for  irrigation  in  every  de- 
pression of  the  surface,  at  every  opening  through 
the  mountains  and  foot-hills,  the  future  use  of  ce- 
mented reservoirs  and  ditches,  the  distribution  of 
water  in  the  fields  by  perforated  pipes  and  the 
proper  selection  of  crops  adapted  to  the  physical 
peculiarities,  there  is  no  limit  to  the  future  possi- 
bilities of  the  cosmopolitan  race  that  will  eventu- 
ally people  the  whole  of  Colorado,  in  much  the 
same  manner  and  numbers  as  the  settled  portions 
of  the  Arkansas  valley  are  now  peopled. 

Life  is  worth  while  in  such  a  region.  It  would 
be  exceedingly  interesting  to  return  from  the 
great  unknowable  in  two  hundred  years  from  now 
and  make  a  trip  in  the  airship  of  that  day  from 
the  headwaters  of  the  Arkansas  river  to  the  east- 
ern boundry  of  Colorado. 


RANCH  LIFE  IN  COLORADO 


This  American  made  a  settlement  with  his 
family  on  a  ranch  three  miles  west  of  Pueblo. 
It  was  a  singular  thing  for  an  inexperienced  man 
to  do.  He  was  neither  a  farmer  nor  the  son  of  a 
farmer.  He  knew  nothing  about  farming  meth- 
ods nor  the  raising  of  stock.  He  had  been  a 
mounted  officer  in  the  Civil  War  and  therefore 
could  ride  and  manage  a  horse  but  for  any  real 
knowledge  of  horses  in  general,  of  cattle,  or  of 
sheep  or  hogs,  he  was  fully  as  ignorant  as  any 
other  townsman.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the 
motive  for  a  movement  of  this  kind  was  not  that 
of  pecuniary  profit  alone.  In  almost  every  such 
instance  where  inexperienced  men  undertook  the 
ranching  business  the  pecuniary  balance  was  on 
the  wrong  side  of  the  ledger.  But  this  family 
had  been  living  on  the  west  shore  of  Lake  Michi- 
gan where  the  winter  climate  was  very  severe 
and  trying.  It  began  to  undermine  the  health  of 
both  husband  and  wife,  and  upon  the  advice  of 
the  family  physician  they  were  seeking  an  out- 
door life  in  a  climate  less  severe  and  where  the 
sunshine  and  pure  air  would  bring  back  the  health 


RANCH      LIFE      IN     COLORADO  25 

that  was  partially  lost  in  the  east.  So  they  were 
willing  to  undergo  a  rough  life,  the  most  of  which 
would  be  spent  in  the  open  air,  and  where  the  diet 
would  be  of  the  plainest  and  simplest  kind. 

Another  and  potent  reason  can  be  given.  A 
strong  love  of  nature,  innate  in  the  head  of  the 
family  and  fostered  by  his  previous  environment 
and  habits  urged  him  to  a  rural  life.  This  can 
best  be  illustrated  by  giving  a  pretty  full  account 
of  his  early  life  in  Kentucky  and  Ohio. 

In  the  blue  grass  region  of  Kentucky  in  his 
earliest  boyhood  he  had  an  unquenchable  desire 
to  wander  from  the  small  town  in  which  he  lived, 
over  the  blue-grass  pastures  and  sweet  meadows, 
along  the  streams,  which  had  cut  their  way 
through  the  blue  limestone  strata,  to  fish  in  the 
waters  or  gather  walnuts  or  hickory  nuts  from  the 
numerous  woods  which  adorned  that  beautiful 
country.  An  uncle's  farm,  a  few  short  miles  be- 
yond the  town  was  a  favorite  resort.  He  remem- 
bers with  delight  playing  in  the  ample  grounds  of 
the  home  residence  on  this  farm  or  playing  on 
the  bales  of  hemp  in  the  wide  barn  and  going 
down  to  the  spring  house  where  the  milk  was 
kept  and  riding  the  horses  whenever  he  was  al- 
lowed to  do  so.  It  was  a  delight  in  those  early 
boyhood  days  to  be  with  the  team  which  was  usu- 
ally a  Conistoga  wagon  and  four  horses,  the  driver 
riding  the  near  wheel  horse  and  using  only  a 
single  line  to  guide  the  leaders;  or  to  follow  the 


26  RANCH      LIFE 

plow  and  get  the  aroma  of  the  fresh  earth  and 
view  the  insects  and  every  sort  of  geocentric  an- 
imal that  burrowed  in  the  ground. 

The  same  desire  for  a  country  life  continued 
throughout  his  boyhood  days,  when  a  change  was 
made  from  the  blue-grass  country  of  Kentucky 
to  the  north  side  of  the  Ohio  River.  The  flora 
and  fauna  of  that  region  were  generally  of  the 
same  delightful  character  as  those  from  which 
he  had  migrated.  The  town  in  which  he  lived  in 
Ohio  was  practically  of  the  same  size  and  the  en- 
vironment of  that  same  character,  so  inviting  to 
a  boy  from  the  time  he  was  nine  until  he  was  eigh- 
teen years  of  age.  Thick  beech  woods  grew  upon 
the  hills  adjoining  the  town,  and  the  beech  nuts 
so  abundant  invited  squirrels  and  birds  of  all 
kinds,  and  especially  the  wild  pigeon.  The  hills 
on  both  sides  of  the  Ohio  river  at  this  point  were 
covered  with  the  most  fascinating  growth  of  all 
varieties  of  trees  and  vegetation.  The  hunting 
was  fine,  so  that  with  a  gun  and  a  skiff  one  could 
row  to  any  spot  on  the  river  and  find  the  finest 
recreation.  A  sail  boat  was  a  delightful  means  of 
transportation  on  this  water,  and  it  was  found 
easy  to  construct  such  a  craft,  because  along  this 
river  the  necessities  of  boating  had  given  rise  to 
a  class  of  ingenious  boat-builders,  who  could 
easily  construct  almost  any  kind  of  craft. 

Berries  of  all  kinds  grew  in  profusion.  Wild 
plums,  fox  grapes,  black  and  red  haws,  persim- 


RANCH      LIFE      IN      COLORADO  27 

mons,  paw-paws,  sassafras  bark  were  in  profusion 
everywhere.  Hazel  nuts,  acorns,  shell  bark  hick- 
ory nuts  and  walnuts,  gave  abundance  of  re- 
sources to  the  boys  when  the  frost  came  in  the 
fall  and  luscious  paw-paws  began  to  fall  from 
sheer  ripeness,  and  soon  became  covered  with  the 
falling  leaves.  When  the  skin  of  the  paw-paw 
a  little  later  turned  black,  that  was  the  signal  for 
them  to  be  eaten.  The  boys  soon  learned  just  the 
right  time  to  gather  each  of  these  natural  pro- 
ductions of  the  forest,  and  never  failed  to  reap 
an  ample  store  of  all  of  them.  It  was  pleasurable 
delight  in  the  summer  time  to  wander  along  the 
sandy  beach  of  the  beautiful  river,  play  on  the 
sand-bars  and  swim  in  its  waters,  as  long  as  the 
boy  desired.  The  city  or  town  contains  no  de- 
lights like  these,  and  the  boy  who  has  never  en- 
joyed them  has  no  conception  of  the  true  delights 
of  a  real  country  life.  Even  the  best  school  was 
not  in  the  town,  but  two  and  a  half  miles  away 
along  the  banks  of  the  river,  where  the  roadway 
was  lined  with  the  wildest  and  most  beautiful 
productions  of  nature,  with  all  kinds  of  wild  an- 
imals and  birds  to  draw  the  boy's  attention  and 
make  him  linger  on  the  road. 

There  were  no  railroads  in  this  region  at  that 
time,  but  travel  and  commerce  were  by  steam- 
boats along  the  river,  and  by  horse  conveyance 
on  the  land,  and  these  gave  a  most  delightful 
variation  to  that  enchanting  environment.  This 


28  RANCHLIFE 

town  lay  only  twenty  miles  from  Cincinnati  and 
a  daily  packet  from  there  landed  at  the  wharf, 
thus  giving  easy  access  to  the  commercial  life  of 
a  great  city. 

The  period  spent  in  this  environment  is  looked 
back  upon  as  the  most  pleasurable  of  his  life.  It 
was  not  an  idle  period,  for  the  daily  life  was  oc- 
cupied habitually  with  the  duties  of  either  busi- 
ness or  the  student  life  at  school,  and  the  recrea- 
tions spoken  of  were  only  enjoyed  at  proper  times 
and  in  a  temperate  way.  The  life  fitted  into  the 
environment,  and  nature's  profusion  of  beautiful 
productions  was  simply  complementary  to  the 
artificial  education  which  every  well  endowed  boy 
should  experience.  It  was  not  an  idle  but  a  happy 
life,  and  perhaps  is  the  best  for  preparing  boy- 
hood for  those  future  sterner  duties  which  come 
to  every  one  in  manhood. 

A  curious  case  of  illusion  is  that  when  one 
leaves  the  Ohio  river,  its  delightful  valley  and 
pleasant  hills,  and  resides  for  a  few  years  on  the 
shore  of  a  large  body  of  water  like  Lake  Michigan, 
he  is  astonished  when  revisiting  the  boyhood 
region,  to  find  that  in  his  larger  acquired  vision 
the  river,  valley  and  hills  have  shrunken  to  one- 
half  of  their  former  supposed  dimensions,  and 
especially  is  this  so  when  one  travels  further  and 
views  for  a  time  a  wide  ocean  or  a  range  of  high 
mountains — then  when  he  returns  to  his  early 
habitat,  the  illusion  is  still  more  potent.  This 


RANCH      LIFE      IN     COLORADO          29 

kind  of  early  experience  remained  in  memory 
when  the  doctor,  as  aforesaid,  suggested  that  the 
conditions  made  it  almost  imperative  that  this 
family  seek  in  Colorado,  that  which  it  had  failed 
to  find  in  the  Ohio  valley  or  in  the  more  northern 
region  of  Wisconsin. 

It  was  with  the  recollection  of  all  this  that 
twenty-four  years  afterward  he  gladly  and  con- 
fidently located  on  this  ranch  on  the  upper  waters 
of  the  Arkansas  river,  in  the  very  shadows  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains,  so  far  away  from  the  region 
just  described  on  the  Ohio  river.  The  environ- 
ment here  in  Colorado  was  different  in  almost 
every  respect  from  that  in  Ohio  or  Kentucky,  yet 
while  it  lacked  the  exuberant  vegetation  and 
possessed  an  entirely  different  animal  life,  it  made 
up  for  it  by  having  other  natural  features  that 
were  perhaps  more  essential  to  the  life  upon  which 
they  were  then  just  entering. 

The  landscape  was  entirely  different.  High 
mountains  in  plain  view  upon  the  west  and  the 
foot-hills  covered  with  their  own  peculiar  tree 
life  and  grasses,  which  grow  only  in  a  semi-arid 
region,  sloped  down  from  the  mountains  to  the 
very  borders  of  the  ranch.  On  the  north  was 
Pike's  Peak,  plainly  in  view  fifty  miles  away, 
though  not  looking  to  be  over  ten;  in  the  south 
the  Twin  Mountains,  snow-capped  and  seventy- 
five  miles  away.  From  Pike's  Peak  on  the  north 
to  the  Twin  Mountains  directly  south,  there  was  a 


30  RANCHLIFE 

range  of  mountains,  bent  like  a  bow  to  the  west, 
and  averaging  perhaps  ten  thousand  feet  high, 
with  the  concave  side  toward  the  ranch.  This 
range  of  mountains,  while  seeming  continuous, 
was  discontinuous  in  its  course,  and  took  on  dif- 
ferent names  in  different  localities;  for  instance, 
the  Cheyenne  Mountains  extended  from  the  base 
of  Pike's  Peak  some  distance  to  the  south.  The 
range  immediately  south  of  the  Arkansas  river 
is  called  the  Wet  Mountains,  and  further  south 
where  it  rises  in  places  to  the  height  of  twelve 
thousand  feet,  the  Greenhorn  range.  Still  be- 
yond the  Greenhorn  range,  but  seeming  continu- 
ous, from  where  it  terminates  on  the  Huerfano 
river,  to  the  Twin  Mountains,  rose  the  perpetual 
white  tops  of  the  Sangre  de  Christo  range.  Long- 
fellow must  have  had  in  mind  such  mountains 
when  he  wrote: 

"Where  steep  Sierra  far  uplifts 
Its  craggy  summits  white  with  drifts." 

These  mountains  were  far  away,  but  an  optical 
illusion  would  occasionally  bring  them  so  near 
as  to  make  it  seem  that  one  could  walk  to  and 
touch  their  beautiful  sides  and  return  before 
breakfast.  Especially  at  the  rising  of  the  sun, 
when  the  clouds  hung  but  a  little  seeming  distance 
above  the  tops  of  the  mountains,  the  reflection  of 
its  rays  from  the  clouds  directly  on  the  mountain 
tops  would  make  the  illusion  perfect.  These  fas- 


RANCH      LIFE      IN      COLORADO  31 

cinating  features  which  were  so  much  enjoyed  in 
daylight  were  more  than  equalled  by  the  splendor 
of  the  skies  at  night.  With  nothing  in  the  imme- 
diate environment  to  obstruct  the  view  of  the  as- 
tronomical bodies,  the  clear  atmosphere  rendered 
the  stars  exceedingly  bright,  and  the  constella- 
tions could  be  traced  with  the  utmost  ease  and 
delight.  It  was  the  study  of  astronomy,  with  the 
natural  eye  alone;  repeated  night  after  night,  it 
greatly  added  to  the  book  knowledge  theretofore 
acquired  without  the  accessory  of  such  a  splendid 
astronomical  observatory.  When  the  full  moon  is 
just  rising  above  the  eastern  horizon,  it  appears 
to  be  larger  than  it  does  in  the  zenith.  It  is  not 
really  larger  nor  is  it  enlarged  by  any  condition 
of  the  atmosphere ;  it  is  purely  an  optical  illusion. 
This  is  produced  by  a  mental  operation  which  may 
be  described  in  this  wise:  the  beholder  has  a  sub- 
conscious knowledge  of  the  great  distance  of  the 
moon  from  the  earth;  while  the  moon  is  on  the 
horizon,  he  unconsciously  compares  its  well 
known  size  and  distance  with  the  intervening  ob- 
jects on  the  earth's  surface,  but  when  it  arrives 
in  the  zenith,  there  being  no  intervening  objects, 
the  illusion  has  passed  away.  If  a  sheet  of  paper 
is  made  into  a  cylinder  and  the  observer  will 
adjust  it  to  his  eye  so  that  the  full  moon  on  the 
horizon  will  just  fill  its  diameter,  it  will  be  found 
also  that  the  same  moon  when  it  arriver  in  the 
zenith,  will  just  fill  the  diameter  of  the  same  cylin- 


32  RANCHLIFE 

der.  The  cylinder  shuts  off  the  intervening  ob- 
jects on  the  earth's  surface  when  observing  the 
moon  on  the  horizon.  For  the  same  reason  the 
stars  on  the  horizon  have  a  different  appearance 
from  that  which  they  have  in  the  zenith. 

To  say  they  settled  on  a  ranch  might  convey 
the  idea  that  the  ground  was  cultivatable,  the 
land  irrigated,  and  that  the  improvements  were 
at  least  of  a  comfortable  kind.  But  there  was 
an  absence  of  all  these.  The  improvements  con- 
sisted of  a  log  cabin  very  crudely  built  and  having 
only  a  dirt  roof.  Adjoining  was  a  dug-out  cellar 
with  the  same  kind  of  a  roof  and  a  corral  made 
of  poles.  The  cabin  was  located  on  the  bank  of 
the  river  within  thirty  feet  of  the  water  and  this 
river  was  the  sole  reliance  for  water.  There  was 
no  irrigation  ditch  and  the  high  bluffs  which  im- 
mediately began  to  the  west  and  up  the  river, 
prevented  the  construction  of  a  ditch  without 
very  great  expense.  But  this  did  not  worry  this 
family  because  they  were  not  anxious  to  farm 
and  they  were  close  enough  to  Pueblo  to  easily 
procure  all  farm  products  without  having  to  raise 
them.  They  had  infinite  confidence  in  eventually 
acquiring  sufficient  knowledge  of  the  business 
they  were  launching  into,  to  make  it  at  least  pleas- 
ureable,  if  not  profitable.  There  was  a  wide  sense 
of  liberty  and  independence  in  living  in  this  glori- 
ous atmosphere  and  sunshine  and  having  a  wide 


RANCH      LIFE      IN      COLORADO  33 

expanse  of  unoccupied  land  on  all  sides.  There 
was  not  another  house  in  sight. 

It  was  located  about  where  the  thin  timber 
in  the  foothills  ends  and  the  true  prairie  country 
begins.  Adjoining  the  river  in  the  bottoms  was 
a  heavy  growth  of  cottonwood  trees,  some  wil- 
lows, wild  plum  trees  and  wild  grape  vines.  At 
first  there  were  but  a  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land  with  an  uneven  contour,  including  a 
portion  of  the  river,  but  from  time  to  time 
adjoining  lands  were  acquired  until  about  a 
mile  and  a  quarter  east  and  west  and  extend- 
ing on  both  sides  of  the  river  gave  a  variety 
of  bottom  and  upland  that  made  a  body 
of  land  large  in  extent  only.  There  were  some 
natural  meadows  from  which  hay  was  cut  each 
season,  but  a  large  part  of  it  produced  nothing 
but  sage  brush  and  greasewood. 

Better  buildings  were  immediately  required. 
Selecting  a  desirable  spot  on  high  lands,  but  not 
far  from  the  river,  a  comfortable  adobe  dwelling 
a  story  and  a  half  high  was  built  with  a  shingle 
roof  and  a  good  stable  and  corrals.  These  im- 
provements would  have  been  creditable  to  an  east- 
ern farm  and  made  the  stay  upon  the  ranch  both 
comfortable  and  pleasurable. 

The  nearest  neighbor  on  the  east  was  "Com- 
modore" T.  C.  Wetmore,  and  on  the  west  lived 
"Professor"  Boggs.  These  ranchmen  had  some 
farming  lands  and  raised  corn,  but  what  the  one 


34  RANCHLIFE 

was  "Commodore"  of  or  the  other  "Professor" 
of  remained  an  unsolved  problem.  About  a  mile 
up  the  river,  on  the  opposite  side,  lived  the  well- 
known  Charles  Goodnight,  a  driver  and  dealer  in 
Texas  cattle,  a  very  respected  citizen  of  the  coun- 
ty, a  man  of  fine  character  and  in  every  way  de- 
sirable as  a  neighbor.  Next  west  of  "Professor" 
Boggs  lived  J.  J.  Smith  and  adjoining  him  Michael 
Mahoney.  Mahoney's  ranch  was  bounded  on  the 
west  by  what  is  well  known  as  Rock  Canon,  a 
narrow  defile  cut  by  the  river  through  the  sand- 
stone at  some  period  long  back  in  geological  time. 
There  was  no  ranch  for  three  miles  up  the  river 
from  this  Rock  Canon  and  then  followed  to  the 
foot  of  the  mountains  some  forty  miles,  a  succes- 
sion of  ranches  in  places  where  natural  hay  could 
be'  cut  and  contiguous  grazing  lands  on  the  higher 
mesas.  The  ranchmen  all  kept  more  or  less  stock, 
generally  cattle  and  horses,  which  were  branded 
with  the  private  brand  of  the  ranchman  and 
grazed  on  the  adjoining  mesa  government  lands. 
Such  were  the  ranch  and  its  surroundings  during 
a  residence  of  ten  years,  from  1870  to  1880.  It 
had  been  determined  beforehand  for  what  purpose 
this  ranch  would  be  used,  for  without  a  profitable 
occupation  the  pleasure  of  such  a  life  would  be  of 
short  duration.  That  occupation  was  to  be  stock 
raising  alone  and  incidentally  the  cutting  of  hay 
upon  natural  meadows.  But  there  was  never  any 
intention  of  ploughing  lands  and  raising  crops.  In 


RANCH      LIFE      IN      COLORADO          35 

after  years  when  this  land  was  divided  up  into 
small  farms  and  gardens  it  proved  to  be  very  pro- 
ductive. Now,  in  1914  some  of  the  most  valuable 
gardens  about  Pueblo  are  located  on  this  land. 
The  sagebrush  land  eventually  raised  the  finest 
celery  and  all  of  the  ranch  when  placed  under 
irrigation  proved  to  be  exceedingly  valuable  for 
farming  purposes. 


DOMESTIC     ANIMALS. 

The  first  stock  placed  upon  the  ranch  was  a 
flock  of  fifteen  hundred  sheep ;  a  little  later  a  small 
herd  of  cattle  and  some  horses.  All  the  stock 
grazed  on  public  lands  adjacent  to  the  ranch.  A 
cabin  and  corrals  being  built  in  the  bottom  on  the 
south  side  of  the  river,  there  the  flock  with  a 
herder  was  located  and  ranged  upon  the  bluffs 
and  open  mesa  prairie  running  east,  south  and 
west.  There  then  existed  no  obstruction  to  graz- 
ing in  any  direction.  The  Denver  &  Rio  Grande 
Railroad  was  yet  unbuilt;  there  was  no  Bessemer 
ditch,  and  the  place  where  South  Pueblo  is  now 
located  on  the  mesa,  contained  not  a  single  house. 
The  sheep  grazed  over  the  ground  now  occupied 
by  the  City  Park  and  Minnequa  Lake.  This  is  an 
artificial  lake  made  by  throwing  across  a  depres- 
sion in  the  land  a  dam  and  running  into  it  a  ditch 
from  the  St.  Charles  river.  In  1870  it  was  dry 


36  RANCHLIFE 

grazing  land.  The  winter  of  1870-71  was  a  severe 
one,  and  as  the  range  on  the  south  side  of  the 
river  sloped  toward  the  north,  the  snow  lay  with- 
out melting  for  a  long  time.  One  day  after  a 
severe  storm,  when  the  snow  lay  upon  the  ground 
about  a  foot  deep,  the  herder  appeared  in  the 
cabin  just  as  the  hour  for  the  noonday  meal  ar- 
rived, and  excitedly  exclaimed  "The  sheepies  is 
gone."  It  was  then  snowing  some  and  the  wind 
was  from  the  north.  He  explained  that  he  could 
not  keep  up  with  the  sheep  although  he  was  on 
horseback,  and  they  had  drifted  away  from  him. 
It  being  apparent  that  the  sheep  could  not  have 
sunken  into  the  earth,  nor  really  been  lost,  the 
herder  was  invited  to  sit  down  to  dinner,  after 
which  a  search  would  be  made  for  the  sheep.  By 
riding  directly  south  in  the  course  of  the  wind  for 
two  or  three  miles,  they  were  found,  huddled  to- 
gether and  apparently  waiting  for  someone  to 
come  after  them.  They  were  gotten  back  to  the 
corral  in  due  time,  and  one  of  the  peculiarities  of 
the  stock  business  was  over  for  that  day. 

In  the  next  spring,  it  was  found  that  the  grass 
on  this  range  had  been  pretty  well  eaten  off,  and 
in  order  to  have  new  grass  grow  during  the  spring 
and  summer  for  the  next  winter's  feeding,  it  was 
necessary  to  transfer  the  sheep  to  some  other  lo- 
cality. A  ranch  was  purchased  on  the  Divide  at 
the  head  of  Cherry  creek,  four  miles  east  of  the 
present  town  of  Monument  in  El  Paso  County. 


RANCH      LIFE      IN     COLORADO          37 

It  had  a  fine  summer  range  at  an  elevation  of 
about  seven  thousand  feet,  and  there  the  sheep 
were  located  with  a  herder.  In  fact,  these  wooly 
animals  had  to  be  changed  oftener  than  either 
cattle  or  horses.  The  horses  and  cattle  ranged 
on  the  north  side  of  what  may  be  called  the  home 
ranch  on  the  Arkansas  river.  They  grazed  as  far 
west  as  Turkey  Creek  and  as  far  north  as  what 
was  called  the  pinon  woods  on  the  foot-hills.  This 
was  a  very  large  range  for  the  number  of  horses 
and  cattle  that  then  occupied  it.  So  that  these 
animals  did  not  require  any  transfer  at  any  time 
of  the  year  to  other  localities.  It  was  discovered, 
however,  in  the  course  of  a  year  or  two,  that  cat- 
tle were  not  profitable  unless  handled  in  much 
larger  numbers.  An  opportunity  offering  to  trade 
them  for  horses,  an  end  thus  came  to  the  ex- 
periment of  cattle  raising  and  cowboy  riding. 

A  herd  of  Texas  horses  having  been  purchased 
prior  to  this  exchange  and  this  additional  herd  ac- 
quired by  the  exchange  of  cattle  having  been 
added  to  them,  there  were  then  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  head  of  horses  on  the  ranch.  They 
proved  to  be  great  roamers,  and  seldom  all  of 
them  could  be  rounded  up  at  one  time.  They  sep- 
arated into  bunches,  and  some  of  them  would 
roam  as  far  north  as  Little  Buttes,  twenty  miles, 
others  into  the  pinons  on  the  head  waters  of 
Turkey  Creek,  while  some  crossed  the  river  and 
wandered  out  toward  the  foothills  in  the  south- 


38  RANCH      LIFE 

west.  Thus  a  great  deal  of  riding  and  driving 
became  necessary,  and  it  soon  developed  that  there 
would  be  no  profit  to  an  amateur  in  that  kind  of 
business.  But  horses  are  very  interesting  ani- 
mals! A  horse  is  much  more  intelligent  than  a 
cow  or  a  sheep,  and  as  there  was  nearly  always  a 
bunch  being  kept  up  to  be  broken  and  sold  in  the 
market  it  was  an  interesting  diversion  from  the 
ordinary  ranch  life  to  watch  the  peculiarities  of 
the  animals,  but  more  especially  those  of  the 
breakers.  Most  of  these  breakers  were  Mexicans, 
and  they  were  exceedingly  expert  in  throwing  the 
lasso  and  in  handling  and  riding  wild  horses,  their 
methods  being  of  the  cruelest  kind.  They  used 
cowboy  saddles,  usually  with  two  cinches,  and 
bridle  bits  that  were  exceedingly  severe  in  the 
mouths  of  the  animals.  They  would  lasso  a  wild 
horse,  and  by  winding  the  lariat  around  a  "snub- 
bing post'*  soon  had  him  flat  on  his  side.  Then 
forcing  the  bit  in  his  mouth  and  a  saddle  on  his 
back,  the  rider  was  enabled  to  mount  him,  and 
pitching  and  bucking  at  a  furious  rate,  the  horse 
and  rider  would  start  off.  This  continued  until 
the  animal  was  completely  exhausted.  These  op- 
erations continued  from  day  to  day  until  the  horse 
was  supposed  to  be  broken.  Some  horses  were 
much  more  easily  tamed  than  others ;  it  depended 
largely  upon  the  intelligence  of  the  horse.  Others 
were  never  tamed,  and  these  when  mounted  al- 
ways pitched  and  jumped  in  an  endeavor  to  dis- 


RANCH      LIFE      IN      COLORADO          39 

mount  the  rider.  Those  Mexican  horse-breakers 
were  generally  unfit  for  anything  else,  being  lazy, 
slow  and  independent,  selected  their  own  times  to 
do  the  work,  and  one  of  them  would  often  ride  a 
horse  off  to  Pueblo  and  hours  would  elapse  before 
he  would  return.  They  were  not  paid  by  the  day, 
but  broke  each  horse  for  a  certain  price.  There 
were  some  domestic  American  horses  on  the 
ranch,  gentle  and  workable,  being  really  pets  from 
the  time  they  were  colts.  They  were  most  enjoy- 
able companions.  Many  of  them  seemed  de- 
lighted to  do  their  duties  when  not  over-worked, 
and  many  of  them  were  exceedingly  sociable,  al- 
ways coming  up  to  be  petted.  Two  or  three  of 
them  became  very  fond  of  clabbered  milk  which 
was  set  out  in  wide  pans  for  them  to  drink.  They 
would  come  to  the  house  and  paw  on  the  cellar 
door  as  a  signal  for  this  milk.  This  was  a  pe- 
culiarity very  amusing  that  had  not  before  been 
observed  in  horses. 

Chickens  were  kept  in  large  numbers  being  in 
a  small  way  very  profitable.  Some  pigs  were  kept 
and  in  the  course  of  time  a  regular  dairy  was  es- 
tablished the  milk  from  which  being  sold  in 
Pueblo. 

After  a  year  or  two  struggling  with  the  main- 
tenance of  a  horse  herd,  it  was  found  best  that 
they  should  be  sold  and  the  efforts  in  the  stock 
business  which  before  that  time  had  been  too 
much  scattered  should  be  centered  upon  that  par- 


40  RANCHLIPE 

ticular  branch  of  stock  raising  which  had  proved 
not  only  the  most  congenial  but  the  most  profit- 
able. The  number  of  horses  was  reduced  to  that 
required  for  work  on  the  ranch  and  for  carriage 
use  or  horseback  riding. 

The  sale  of  the  horses  reduced  the  domestic 
animals  to  a  small  herd  of  dairy  cows  and  two 
flocks  of  sheep,  two  thousand  in  each.  In  the 
summer  time  no  sheep  remained  at  the  home 
ranch.  Ranches  had  been  acquired  at  Rock  Canon 
three  miles  up  the  river  and  at  Adobe  Creek,  in 
what  is  now  Crowley  County,  about  seventy  miles 
east  of  Pueblo,  in  addition  to  that  one  already 
spoken  of,  on  the  Divide.  The  flocks  were  usually 
brought  to  the  home  ranch  in  the  winter  time 
where  they  were  kept  until  after  shearing  and 
lambing  in  the  spring.  They  were  then  taken  to 
the  nearest  ranch  where  the  grass  had  been  left 
to  grow  until  after  the  lambs  could  be  separated 
from  their  mothers  and  put  by  themselves.  They 
were  then  sent  to  the  more  distant  ranches,  each 
flock  accompanied  by  a  herder  and  a  two-horse 
wagon  with  a  driver.  Sometimes  these  outfits 
would  linger  on  the  way  to  the  distant  ranches 
and  temporarily  take  up  quarters  where  good 
grass  and  water  were  contiguous  and  where  their 
presence  would  not  too  much  interfere  with  cattle 
ranges.  One  of  these  expeditions  was  made  to  a 
ranch  east  of  Colorado  Springs  for  dipping  the 
sheep  in  a  solution  of  tobacco  and  sulphur  to  kill 


RANCH      LIFE      IN      COLORADO          41 

the  germs  that  were  destroying  the  wool,  a  dis- 
ease called  the  "scab."  "Mack,"  an  old  hand  at 
the  business,  was  the  herder  and  "Jeff"  drove  the 
team.  The  herder  had  a  pony  to  ride  and  with  the 
team  was  another  saddle  pony  to  be  used  in  case 
of  emergency.  After  the  dipping,  they  started 
directly  east  for  the  Adobe  creek  ranch.  It  was 
a  fine  flock  of  choice  sheep  and  with  them  were 
two  large  black  goats  with  bells  attached  to  straps 
fastened  around  their  necks.  Goats  are  exceed- 
ingly sagacious  animals  and  wherever  they  led  the 
sheep  were  sure  to  follow.  Their  tall  forms  and 
ringing  bells  kept  the  coyotes  from  preying  upon 
the  sheep  and  also  assisted  the  herder  in  detecting 
any  movement  at  night.  The  herder  also  had  a 
shepherd  dog  with  him  which  could  be  sent 
around  the  flock  at  any  time  and  would  bring  in 
any  that  were  grazing  too  far  away.  They  had 
proceeded  perhaps  a  couple  of  days  travel  toward 
their  destination  when  a  severe  northern  blizzard 
struck  them  at  night.  It  was  accompanied  by 
snow  and  some  hail.  All  the  efforts  of  the  two 
men  and  shepherd  dog  failed  to  hold  the  sheep  to- 
gether and  they  quickly  drifted  away  following 
the  trend  of  the  storm  and  were  lost  to  the  herd- 
ers. The  men  stayed  in  camp  until  morning  and 
then  spent  that  day  in  hunting  for  them,  but  not 
succeeding  Jeff  mounted  one  of  the  horses  and 
rode  for  the  home  ranch.  The  distance  was  about 
seventy-five  miles  but  he  reached  home  during 


42  RANCHLIPE 

the  afternoon  of  the  third  day  after  the  loss  and 
informed  the  proprietor  of  the  accident.  Consid- 
erable thinking  was  done  that  night  as  to  the  best 
method  of  proceeding.  The  storm  had  come  from 
the  north  and  would  undoubtedly  blow  the  strays 
toward  the  Arkansas  river,  north  of  which  forty- 
rive  miles  the  disaster  occurred.  After  the  storm 
abated  they  sought  water  and  that  existed  only 
in  the  Arkansas  river.  The  sheep  would  natur- 
ally keep  together  unless  they  were  scattered  by 
coyotes  and  the  only  object  in  hurrying  for  the 
search  at  all  was  to  prevent  their  being  thus  scat- 
tered. So  the  next  day  a  pair  of  horses  was 
hitched  to  a  spring  wagon  and  Jeff  and  the  pro- 
prietor drove  down  the  river  through  Pueblo  and 
on  east  to  the  mouth  of  the  Chico.  Inquiring  of 
the  ranchman  who  lived  at  that  point  (inquiries 
had  already  been  made  along  the  road  in  several 
places)  he  answered  that  he  noticed  a  flock  of 
sheep  watering  at  some  distance  below  him  on  the 
river  but  paid  no  attention  to  them  supposing  they 
had  a  herder.  The  journey  was  resumed  in  that 
direction  and  within  a  mile  or  mile  and  a  half  the 
sheep  were  found  lying  down.  The  two  black 
goats  were  standing  with  their  heads  erect  as  if 
watching  for  any  friend  or  enemy.  Jeff  acted  as 
herder  while  the  proprietor  drove  the  team  and 
in  the  evening  they  were  again  at  the  home  ranch. 
Being  counted  the  next  day  only  two  or  three  were 
found  to  be  missing.  It  is  altogether  probable 


RANCH      LIFE      IN      COLORADO  43 

that  if  the  black  goats,  with  their  bells,  had  not 
been  with  them  they  would  have  been  badly  scat- 
tered and  many  of  them  lost.  Storms  are  very 
destructive  to  sheep.  They  cannot  be  made  to 
face  a  storm — they  always  drift  with  it  keeping 
their  faces  away  from  direct  contact  with  the 
wind,  rain  or  snow.  "Mack"  suggested  that  the 
sheep  drifted  toward  the  Greenhorn  range  of 
mountains  in  the  southwest  which  brought  them 
to  the  river.  However,  and  whatever  the  cause  of 
their  being  found  in  that  location,  it  was  most 
gratifying  to  the  owner  that  they  were  recovered 
with  so  little  exertion  and  in  such  short  time. 

To  illustrate  the  precarious  conditions  of  the 
business  of  wool-growing  at  that  time  in  Colorado 
the  following  juxtaposition  of  its  good  and  ill  for- 
tune is  given.  A  resident  of  Philadelphia,  Pen- 
sylvania,  owned  six  thousand  head  and  grazed 
them  by  proxy  on  the  Apishapa  river  in  Huerfano 
County,  hiring  a  manager  and  herders  while  he 
remained  at  his  eastern  home.  Experience  having 
taught  him  in  time  that  these  conditions  were  in- 
compatible with  successful  results,  he  offered  the 
sheep  for  sale  at  a  very  reasonable  price.  Imme- 
diately the  Pueblo  ranchman  procured  an  option 
for  the  purchase  of  two  thousand  of  them.  A 
short  time  afterwards  the  remaining  four  thou- 
sand were  taken  by  an  ex-banker  of  Chicago  who 
was  also  seeking  the  recovery  of  his  health  in  the 
fine  climate  of  Colorado.  His  enthusiasm  exceed- 


44  RANCH      LIFE 

ed  all  bounds  and  his  wealth  was  ample.  He  de- 
sired to  purchase  the  whole  six  thousand  and 
when  all  the  interested  parties  met  at  the  Apisha- 
pa  ranch  to  count  and  transfer  the  sheep,  he  of- 
fered the  buyer  of  the  two  thousand  a  bonus  of 
$500  for  his  purchase.  This  was  declined.  It 
was  agreed  that  the  flock  should  be  divided  by  let- 
ting two  thousand  of  them  out  of  the  corral,  one 
at  a  time,  through  a  chute  which  had  been  built  on 
one  side  of  the  corral  and  when  these  had  passed 
through  the  remainder  should  go  to  the  banker 
from  Chicago.  This  plan  was  very  agreeable  to 
the  purchaser  of  the  two  thousand,  because  experi- 
ence had  proved  that  the  most  vigorous  would 
come  out  first.  The  two  thousand  accompanied 
by  a  herder  and  their  proprietor  were  soon  on 
the  road  toward  Pueblo,  grazing  by  the  way. 
The  weather  being  fine  there  was  no  hurry 
to  get  them  on  the  home  range  for  the  longer 
they  should  be  kept  by  the  way,  the  better 
would  it  be  for  them  and  the  better  the 
grass  on  the  home  range  would  become.  It 
was  in  March  when  this  flock  arrived  at  the  home 
ranch.  In  a  short  time  there  came  an  inquiry 
from  a  merchant  in  Pueblo  asking  at  what  price 
these  two  thousand  sheep  could  be  purchased. 
The  answer  was  $2,000  advance  over  the  price 
at  which  they  were  bought.  A  few  days  after 
the  banker  from  Chicago  came  to  the  home  ranch 
paid  the  price  and  drove  them  away.  They  were 


RANCH     LIFE      IN      COLORADO          45 

taken  immediately  to  their  grazing  grounds  north- 
east of  Colorado  Springs,  in  El  Paso  County,  and 
turned  into  the  same  flock  with  the  four  thousand. 
In  a  few  days  after  this  a  severe  northeast  storm 
of  snow  and  sleet  struck  the  combined  flock  on  the 
range,  froze  to  death  one  of  the  two  or  three  herd- 
ers and  drove  twenty-five  hundred  of  the  sheep 
over  some  high  bluffs,  killing  them  all.  The  only 
part  of  the  twenty-five  hundred  left  to  sell 
were  the  pelts.  The  Chicago  banker  concluded 
that  wool  growing  in  Colorado  was  not  profitable 
and  soon  closed  out  his  holdings. 

As  said  before,  the  question  of  ranges  for 
sheep  was  a  serious  one.  Experience  proved  that 
not  more  than  two  thousand  could  be  profitably 
grazed  in  one  flock.  Two  flocks  might  be  kept 
at  one  point  in  two  corrals  and  grazed  in  different 
directions,  but  one  herder  could  not  well  attend 
more  than  that  number.  For  instance,  at  the 
home  ranch  two  thousand  could  be  kept  on  each 
side  of  the  river,  but  the  important  thing  was  not 
to  crop  the  grass  too  close  at  any  time  of  the  year 
and  to  have  some  ranges  free  from  sheep  while  the 
grass  was  growing. 

Cattle  did  not  do  well  grazing  upon  the  same 
range  with  sheep  and  the  cattle  raisers  were  very 
bitterly  opposed  to  this  and  perhaps  properly  so. 
The  Adobe  creek  ranch  was  selected  with  particu- 
lar reference  to  this  feeling  of  cattlemen.  Assist- 
ance was  given  in  the  selection  of  this  ranch  by 


46  RANCH      LIFE 

Mr.  Ludwig  Kramer,  who  had  a  fine  place  on  the 
Arkansas  river  twenty-five  miles  east  of  Pueblo. 
He  grazed  a  large  number  of  cattle  toward  the 
north  from  his  ranch  as  far  east  as  Bluff  Springs 
and  along  Mustang  creek  perhaps  as  far  as  Horse 
Creek.  Two  fine  springs  were  found  in  the  bluffs 
immediately  west  of  Adobe  Creek.  The  range 
was  exceedingly  fine  and  seemed  to  be  unoccupied 
except  by  a  herd  of  wild  horses  which  kept  well 
out  of  the  way  and  would  run  whenever  they 
sighted  a  man  in  the  distance.  The  distance  from 
.the  home  ranch  was  really  little  further  than  the 
one  on  the  Divide.  The  good  grazing  and  occa- 
sional water  between  these  two  ranches  made  the 
long  distance  endurable.  The  ranch  itself  was 
perfect  for  summer  occupation  only.  It  was  a 
true  prairie  region  without  any  timber  and  there- 
fore there  was  no  protection  against  storms.  A 
cabin  and  corrals  were  soon  built  and  occupied 
more  or  less  during  the  years  following.  At  one 
time  while  a  flock  of  sheep  was  being  taken  to 
this  ranch  by  two  men  with  wagon  and  necessary 
equipments  and  all  the  paraphernalia  of  a  moving 
flock,  when  they  arrived  at  Horse  Creek  the  two 
men  concluded  there  was  not  any  good  reason  why 
another  ranch  should  not  be  established  there. 
The  finest  water  and  splendid  grazing  lured  the 
men.  There  were  no  cattle  in  sight  and  no  cabin 
anywhere  in  view.  They  decided  to  remain  at 
least  for  a  while  until  they  could  communicate 


RANCH      LIFE      IN      COLORADO  47 

with  the  home  ranch.  They  soon  erected  from 
materials  at  hand  a  comfortable  dug-out  in  which 
to  sleep  at  night  and  used  a  circular  canvas  corral 
which  they  carried  along  with  them  in  the  wagon. 
This  was  made  of  canvas  a  yard  wide,  and  iron 
stakes  sufficiently  numerous  to  hold  the  canvas 
in  place.  They  remained  but  a  few  days,  when 
one  night  hearing  some  commotion  about  the  cor- 
ral, looking  out  they  discovered  some  men  on 
horseback  driving  the  sheep  away.  The  two  herd- 
ers discreetly  remained  in  the  cabin  watching  the 
performance  and  noting  the  direction  in  which  the 
sheep  were  taken  awaited  the  coming  of  daylight 
before  pursuing.  They  then  found  them  not  a 
great  distance  from  the  corral.  The  account  of 
the  event  given  by  the  herders  was  rather  vague, 
but  at  all  events  it  was  taken  as  sufficient  warning 
on  the  part  of  the  cattle  raisers  whose  stock  per- 
haps occupied  that  region  that  sheep  were  not 
wanted  there.  They  were  taken  to  another  local- 
ity and  no  further  attempt  was  made  to  locate 
on  Horse  Creek. 

The  route  from  Pueblo  to  that  Adobe  Creek 
ranch  left  the  Arkansas  valley  at  the  mouth  of 
Haines  creek  by  what  was  known  as  the  Kit,  Car- 
son road,  a  plain  wagon  road  leading  to  the  town 
of  Kit  Carson  on  the  Kansas  Pacific  Railway.  The 
Adobe  Creek  ranch  was  located  perhaps  four  or 
five  miles  north  of  this  Kit  Carson  road  where  it 
crossed  from  Horse  creek  to  Adobe.  Large  irri- 


48  RANCHLIFE 

gating  ditches  now  cover  that  whole  country  and 
valuable  reservoirs  and  farms  occupy  the  entire 
region  between  there  and  the  Arkansas  river. 
The  town  of  Arlington,  now  on  the  Missouri  Pa- 
cific Railway,  is  located  on  Adobe  creek,  south  of 
this  sheep  ranch. 

The  Divide  ranch,  an  old  stage  station  at  the 
head  of  west  Cherry  Creek,  immediately  on  the 
old  stage  road  from  Denver  to  Pueblo,  a  fine  pro- 
ducer of  native  hay,  with  log  house  and  very  com- 
modious barns,  was  formerly  the  home  of  John 
Irvine  who  moved  from  there  to  his  farm  on  the 
Fountain  river  at  the  station  now  called  Wigwam 
on  the  Denver  and  Rio  Grande  Railway.  Because 
of  these  convenient  buildings  it  proved  to  be  a  de- 
sirable summer  location  and  a  fine  place  to  shear, 
which  generally  occurred  in  May  or  June  of  each 
year.  The  clip  of  wool  of  1871,  cut  at  this  ranch, 
marketed  in  Denver,  hauled  by  wagons,  sold  for 
31c  per  pound.  The  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  Rail- 
way was  then  being  constructed  at  Palmer  Lake 
and  down  Monument  creek,  four  miles  west.  After 
the  clipping  of  1871,  however,  the  shearing  was 
done  at  the  home  ranch  on  the  Arkansas,  because 
shearers  were  more  easily  obtained  at  that  point 
and  the  wool  could  be  such  more  readily  marketed 
at  Pueblo.  Another  ranch  on  the  Arkansas  river 
has  not  yet  been  mentioned  but  which  was  really 
more  valuable  than  the  home  ranch.  It  was  located 
two  and  one-half  miles  east  of  Pueblo  down  the 


RANCH     LIFE      IN      COLORADO          49 

river.  At  the  present  time  Pueblo  has  grown  so  far 
east  as  to  bring  this  ranch  within  less  than  a  mile 
of  the  suburbs.  It  consisted  of  a  very  valuable 
natural  meadow  from  which  a  large  crop  of  hay 
was  taken  every  year.  It  had  a  valuable  irriga- 
tion 'ditch  covering  the  whole  acreage,  and  was 
used  for  a  number  of  years  for  the  dairy  cows. 
It  made  a  splendid  dairy  ranch.  Sheep  were  never 
taken  to  this  ranch  for  two  reasons.  One  was 
that  the  range  contiguous  was  not  so  good  as  that 
at  the  home  ranch  and  access  to  the  water  was 
cut  off  by  fences  and  meadows.  It  was  generally 
rented  to  a  tenant  who  at  the  same  time  rented 
the  dairy. 

THE  PERSONNEL  OF  EMPLOYES. 

The  personnel  of  the  employes  in  this  ranching 
business  is  interesting  to  look  back  upon.  There 
were  not  a  great  number  employed  at  any  one 
time,  but  the  aggregate  for  the  whole  time  was 
large  in  number.  Some  of  them  remained  for 
years,  others  for  only  a  few  months,  and  many  for 
but  a  few  weeks,  sometimes  only  a  few  days.  They 
were  of  all  grades  of  efficiency,  and  nearly  of  all 
grades  of  character.  There  were  still  more  grades 
of  intellect  among  them — some  of  them  being 
bright  and  others  very  stupid.  As  a  rule  they 
were  white  men,  generally  Americans,  but  occa- 
sionally some  Mexicans,  who  were  really  good 


50  RANCH      LIFE 

docile  sheep  herders.  One  by  the  name  of  Jesus 
proved  to  be  an  exceptionally  good  herder,  and 
was  kept  for  many  months,  but  the  American 
white  men  were  the  only  ones  who  were  really 
trusted  to  take  flocks  to  the  distant  ranches.  This 
name  Jesus  was  pronounced  "Hasoos"  with  the 
accent  on  the  last  syllable.  It  was  a  common  name 
among  the  Mexicans,  and  was  never  thought  any- 
thing but  proper  except  by  the  woman  whose  tub 
was  borrowed  and  sent  home  by  the  Mexican  with 
a  note  which  read : 

"Dear  Madam: — I  am  exceedingly  obliged  for 
the  use  of  your  tub,  which  I  herewith  return  by 
Jesus. 

"Yours  truly," 

She  afterward  remarked  to  the  borrower  that 
it  was  all  right  to  return  the  tub,  but  it  should 
have  been  done  without  any  profanity.  Many  of 
these  employes  were  young  men  from  the  east, 
seeking  health  in  the  Colorado  climate.  One  was 
a  young,  smooth-faced  boy  from  New  York  City. 
He  was  quite  efficient  in  some  ways,  but  exceed- 
ingly green  and  unused  to  the  ways  of  the  world 
arid  many  a  joke  was  played  upon  him  by  the  older 
western  men.  He  afterwards  became  quite  a 
politician  in  Pueblo,  and  held  more  than  one  city 
office.  He  long  afterwards  located  in  northern 
Mexico,  where  he  now  owns  a  large  ranch.  An- 
other employe  is  now  a  lawyer  in  Durango;  an- 


RANCH      LIFE     IN     COLORADO          51 

other  a  lawyer  in  Pueblo.  But  Mack,  who  stayed 
the  longest  as  a  sheep  herder,  and  who  was  by  far 
the  most  efficient  one,  had  no  ambition  to  rise 
higher,  and  went  away  from  the  ranch  with  the 
last  flock  of  sheep,  this  being  sold  to  a  son  of  one 
of  the  principal  fur  merchants  of  New  York  City. 
Mack  went  with  him.  He  was  accompanied  by  a 
Mr.  Grant  from  London,  England,  who  had  estab- 
lished a  large  stock  ranch  on  the  Kansas  Pacific 
Railway  in  northwestern  Kansas.  They  pur- 
chased this  flock  of  sheep  for  investment,  placing 
them  on  this  ranch.  They  took  Mack  and  the 
canvas  corral.  That  was  the  last  seen  or  heard  of 
Mack.  He  was  quiet  and  gentle,  always  doing  his 
duty  squarely  and  well.  His  only  seeming  faults 
were  personal,  his  want  of  any  thrift  being  the 
worst. 

WILD    ANIMALS. 

In  the  summer  of  1870,  there  were  numerous 
varieties  of  wild  animal  life  on  that  home  ranch 
and  in  the  country  adjoining.  There  was  an 
abundance  of  fish  in  the  river,  consisting  of  chan- 
nel and  mud  cats,  suckers  and  a  very  fine  silver 
scaled  fish  which  for  want  of  a  better  name  was 
called  white  fish.  Turtles  were  in  great  abund- 
ance. Mud  cats  weighing  as  high  as  ten  pounds 
were  sometimes  caught,  but  the  channel  cat  and 
the  white  fish  made  the  finest  eating.  It  was  easy 


52  RANCH      LIFE 

to  catch  them  on  trot  lines  set  with  hooks  every 
few  feet  and  baited  with  minnows.  These  trot 
lines  were  kept  anchored  in  the  water  and  fast- 
ened to  a  stake  on  the  shore,  so  that  at  all  times 
plenty  of  fish  appeared  on  the  table.  They  could 
be  also  caught  readily  with  pole  and  line,  and 
much  fishing  was  thus  done  by  the  visitors  from 
Pueblo.  A  large  wooden  box  was  fastened  at  the 
edge  of  the  stream,  so  the  water  would  cover  its 
bottom  about  a  foot  or  eighteen  inches  deep.  Many 
fish  taken  alive  were  placed  in  this  box,  so  that 
fresh  fish  were  always  available  at  very  short 
notice.  A  great  many  beavers  lived  along  this 
stream.  They  were  very  shy  animals,  seldom  seen 
and  hard  to  trap,  but  their  nightly  depredations 
on  the  timber  were  plainly  visible.  They  would 
cut  down  cottonwoods  a  foot  in  diameter.  Whether 
they  did  this  for  the  purpose  of  feeding  on  the 
bark  and  extreme  twigs  of  the  trees,  or  for  use  in 
constructing  dams  in  the  river,  was  difficult  to 
determine.  By  means  of  traps,  one  was  occasion- 
ally caught,  and  his  fur  was  quite  valuable. 

Ducks  in  large  flocks  at  the  proper  season 
alighted  on  the  waters,  and  the  table  was  frequent- 
ly served  with  this  delicious  viand.  There  was  no 
occasion  to  go  hunting  ducks  or  angling  for  fish, 
except  for  mountain  trout,  away  from  the  ranch 
at  any  time.  Wild  geese,  while  not  so  plentiful 
as  ducks,  occasionally  came  within  shooting  dis- 
tance, and  some  were  shot.  An  occasional  long- 


RANCH      LIFE      IN     COLORADO          53 

necked  crane  or  heron  would  alight  on  the  shore 
of  the  river.  They  were  very  beautiful  but  not 
edible,  and  therefore  not  shot. 

Cotton-tail  rabbits  were  numerous,  both  in  the 
sage  brush,  which  grew  particularly  on  the  more 
level  lands,  and  among  the  cacti,  which  seemed 
to  grow  best  on  the  flat-topped  hills.  These  little 
bunnies  would  make  their  nests  under  the  bunches 
of  cactus.  They  found  in  the  cactus  needles  a 
perfect  protection  against  the  roving  coyote  or 
other  enemies.  It  was  easy  to  take  a  shot-gun 
and  in  an  hour  get  enough  of  these  on  the  ranch 
alone  to  make  a  meal  for  the  family. 

Antelope  were  numerous  on  the  range  north 
of  the  ranch,  it  not  being  necessary  to  go  out 
on  the  prairies  to  hunt  for  them,  they  came  within 
shooting  distance.  On  the  morning  of  April  7, 
1871,  the  storm  of  snow  and  sleet  which  destroyed 
so  many  sheep,  spoken  of  before,  drove  a  herd  of 
antelope  into  the  home  ranch ;  fifteen  or  twenty  of 
them  entered  the  corral.  In  their  eager  desire  to 
escape  the  storm,  they  seemed  to  have  lost  the 
fear  of  human  habitations  and  human  beings,  and 
acted  almost  tame.  There  then  existed  no  law 
protecting  these  beautiful  animals  from  the  gun- 
ner, and  one  rifle  shot  killed  three  of  them.  The 
others  jumped  over  the  bank  into  the  river  and 
swam  to  the  south  side.  In  the  crevices  of  the 
blue  limestone  bluffs  just  west  of  the  house  lived 
some  swifts  or  little  foxes,  beautiful  little  gray 


54  RANCH      LIFE 

animals,  whose  bright  eyes,  erect  ears  and  bushy 
tails  were  pleasant  to  see,  as  they  would  frequent- 
ly protrude  their  heads  from  their  hiding  places 
or  take  excursions,  even  in  day-light,  through  the 
timber  that  lined  the  stream  below  the  house.  One 
could  not  be  seen  moving  along  through  the  cot- 
ton tree  woods  when  a  rifle  was  available,  but 
often  the  roamer  in  the  timber  when  unarmed 
could  watch  their  beautiful  forms  passing  rather 
leisurely  within  a  short  distance.  They  watched 
the  chicken  yard  pretty  closely,  but  if  they  made 
any  depredations  in  that  direction,  it  was  not 
noticed.  No  exertion  was  made  to  kill  or  molest 
these  little  foxes,  and  very  few  beavers  were  ever 
caught.  The  little  black  and  white  striped  animal, 
which  has  such  a  sharp  black  nose  and  bushy  tail 
was  numerous  and  gave  some  annoyance  at  times 
in  the  chicken  quarters  and  by  his  odor.  But  he 
fed  mostly  on  insects,  toads  and  frogs,  thus  being 
perhaps  to  a  farmer  more  valuable  alive  than 
dead. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  river,  at  the  home 
ranch,  there  was  an  exceedingly  thick  growth  of 
willows  covering  several  acres  evidently  of  an  old 
bed  of  the  stream.  In  this  thicket  there  lived  a 
very  large  wild-cat.  He  was  as  large  as  a  good- 
sized  bull-dog.  He  kept  out  of  sight  in  daylight 
but  occasionally  from  the  small  tight  little  corral, 
kept  for  the  use  of  lambs  which  had  lost  their 
mothers,  a  lamb  would  be  missing  without  the 


RANCH      EIPE      IN     COLORADO          55 

least  evidence  of  the  method  of  its  disappearance. 
The  cabin  in  which  the  herder  slept  adjoined  this 
little  corral  and  if  he  had  been  wide  awake  and 
less  stupid  he  might  have  found  out  before  he  did 
the  cause  of  their  disappearance.  This  agile  and 
industrious  wild-cat  was  feeding  on  the  lambs. 
He  would  jump  the  high  board  fence,  seize  one 
with  the  greatest  agility  and  bound  back  again 
evidently  without  ever  making  any  noise  on  the 
fence  itself.  He  was  finally  killed  but  only  some- 
time after  he  had  been  master  of  the  situation. 

Rattlesnakes  were  numerous.  They  generally 
had  holes  of  their  own  in  which  they  crawled  but 
sometimes  used  those  of  the  prairie-dog.  They 
were  very  sluggish  and  easily  killed  but  would 
occasionally  bite  the  noses  and  mouths  of  the  graz- 
ing animals.  They  would  lie  curled  up  in  the  sum- 
mer time  in  the  hottest  places,  the  neutral  tints  of 
their  skins  making  them  almost  invisible  on  the 
adobe  soil.  They  were  killed  whenever  seen.  A 
slight  tap  of  the  quirt  on  the  head  of  one  was 
generally  effective.  A  saucer  full  of  their  rattles 
at  the  house  gave  evidence  of  numerous  killings. 

Owls  of  all  sizes  and  shapes  had  their  nests  in 
the  cedar  trees  within  a  half  mile  of  the  house. 
One  would  frequently  come  at  night  and  lighting 
on  the  chimney  make  a  most  weird  and  disagree- 
able hooting.  At  such  times  they  seemed  to  be 
aware  that  the  inmates  in  bed  were  not  likely  to 
disturb  them.  Wild  pigeons,  doves,  black  birds, 


56  RANCH      LIFE 

and  occasionally  a  blue  bird  would  come  and  break 
the  monotony  of  other  sorts  of  animal  life.  Mag- 
pies were  numerous  but  very  disagreeable  and 
worthless. 

Moles,  field  mice,  prairie  dogs,  striped 
ground  squirrels,  beetles  and  insects  of  many 
kinds  abounded  in  the  soft  soil  of  the  bottom 
lands.  In  fact,  there  was  life  everywhere.  Most 
of  the  insect  life  was  invisible,  but  known  to  be 
there,  and  presumably  for  a  good  purpose.  Every 
form  of  it  seemed  to  be  devouring  other  forms. 
Large  numbers  of  field  ants  occupied  places  on 
the  dry  prairie  land,  and  built  good-sized  mounds 
of  the  dirt  and  gravel  carried  from  their  galleries 
of  rooms  in  the  sub-soil.  From  the  foot  of  these 
ant-hills,  for  quite  a  distance  in  a  circle,  the 
ground  was  perfectly  bare.  They  either  ate  the 
grass  and  roots,  or  their  very  presence  had  the 
effect  of  killing  all  plant  life  within  that  circle. 
Ants  are  the  most  intelligent  of  all  insects,  and 
very  cosmopolitan.  They  seen  to  be  found  on  land 
in  the  temperate  and  torrid  zones,  everywhere 
around  the  earth.  It  has  been  said  that  the  little 
particle  of  brain  matter  forming  the  head  of  an 
ant  is  the  most  intelligent  piece  of  matter  on  the 
globe.  It  is  interesting  to  any  one  to  study  their 
habits  and  watch  with  what  system  and  industrial 
persistence  they  accomplish  their  objects.  They 
are  very  annoying  to  farmers  when  their  hills 


RANCH      LIFE      IN      COLORADO          57 

happen  to  be  in  cultivated  fields,  and  it  is  exceed- 
ingly difficult  to  annihilate  them. 

There  were  also  horned  toads,  the  red  racer,  a 
most  beautiful  species  of  the  order  of  snakes, 
tarantulas  and  centipedes.  Common  toads  were 
not  very  numerous,  but  one  big  fellow  made  his 
home  under  the  front  steps  of  the  house.  The  chil- 
dren amused  themselves  feeding  him  flies  and 
other  tid-bits,  for  he  sunned  himself  daily.  One 
day  the  wife  hearing  a  commotion  under  the  steps 
went  to  investigate,  and  as  her  foot  touched  the 
step,  a  large  red  racer  emerged  from  underneath, 
and  his  throat  was  suspiciously  large,  with  the 
legs  of  the  toad  protruding  from  his  mouth.  She 
called  one  of  the  men  who  cut  the  snake's  head  off, 
and  out  jumped  the  toad  as  lively  as  ever,  without 
any  seeming  injury.  Toads  did  not  go  near  the 
water,  but  there  were  plenty  of  frogs  along  the 
edges  of  the  river  and  these  lived  both  in  the 
water  and  on  the  land.  They  fed  on  insects  and 
presumably  small  fish  and  were  in  turn  a  quite 
common  food  for  snakes.  Tarantulas,  interesting 
but  hideous  animals,  were  huge  black  spiders  cov- 
ering a  space  two  inches  in  diameter  with  their 
numerous  legs  and  feet.  They  made  homes  in  the 
soil  with  a  little  trap-door  at  the  top  which  they 
would  shut  when  entering  and  it  was  quite  diffi- 
cult to  discover  the  trap-door.  Scorpions  appeared 
occasionally  and  once  in  a  while  a  wild  bee  would 


58  RANCH      LIFE 

alight  from  some  distant  hive  but  the  number  was 
small. 

As  said  before,  the  deer  tribe  remained  in  the 
wooded  regions  of  the  mountains,  as  did  the  elk 
and  the  mountain  sheep.  Bears  were  also  den- 
izens of  the  mountain  districts  but  one  day  in 
driving  from  the  ranch  to  Rock  Canon  up  the 
river,  a  black  object  seen  on  the  right  of  the  road 
about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  ranch  proved 
to  be  one.  The  vehicle  turned  from  the  road  and 
approached  the  black  object.  It  did  not  linger 
but  was  soon  out  of  sight  over  the  high  bluff  be- 
yond moving  north  toward  the  pinon  woods.  It 
was  not  followed  nor  seen  again,  but  heard  of.  A 
Mr.  Schwartz,  who  was  a  wood-hauler  from  the 
pinon  woods  to  Pueblo,  killed  and  brought  into 
town  that  same  evening  a  black  bear  which,  of 
course,  must  have  been  the  same  one.  Numerous 
mountain  lions  lived  in  the  foot-hills,  being  ex- 
ceedingly shy,  one  was  never  seen  at  the  ranch, 
but  being  very  fond  of  the  meat  of  young  colts 
their  presence  not  far  away  was  evident. 

It  is  stated  some  pages  back  that  it  was  not 
necessary  for  the  hunter  to  go  away  from  home  in 
search  of  game.  But  occasionally  an  expendition 
went  to  Chico  or  Haines  creek,  where  the  antelope 
and  jack  rabbits  were  more  numerous.  It  was 
easy  to  bring  back  a  number  of  both  these  ani- 
mals. Jack  rabbits  were  not  especially  good  eating, 
but  when  cooked  and  served  in  a  certain  way, 


RANCH      LIFE      IN     COLORADO          59 

made  a  very  good  substitute  in  the  absence  of 
other  meats.  There  was  nothing  more  delicious 
in  the  way  of  good  eating  than  the  round  steak  of 
a  fat  antelope.  These  were  very  numerous  in 
those  days,  but  being  very  fleet,  it  was  necessary 
for  the  success  of  the  hunter  to  discover  their 
watering  places,  and  they  could  then  be  easily 
killed.  On  such  expeditions,  and  in  fact  on  all 
trips,  made  for  any  purpose  or  from  ranch  to 
ranch,  a  pair  of  horses  and  a  good  wagon  made  a 
necessary  conveyance.  The  outfit  for  cooking  and 
sleeping  was  more  for  use  than  ornament.  A 
Dutch  oven  in  which  to  bake  bread  and  meat  of 
all  kinds,  a  frying  pan  with  a  long  handle  which 
was  called  a  "spider,"  an  iron  kettle  and  a  tin  one 
in  which  to  boil  potatoes  and  vegetables,  a  coffee 
pot,  plates,  and  knives  and  forks  made  up  the  eat- 
ing department.  A  fine  bed-room  was  made  by 
using  a  long  sheet  made  of  two  widths  of  cotton 
canvas  wound  around  the  wheels  of  the  wagon, 
so  as  to  enclose  the  space  beneath.  The  bed  was 
made  of  sheep  skins  with  the  full  length  of  wool 
left  on  them,  sewed  together,  of  the  proper  length 
and  width,  and  the  skin  sides  of  the  pelts  came  to- 
gether so  as  to  make  a  double  thickness  with  wool 
on  both  the  upper  and  under  sides.  This,  with 
plenty  of  blankets,  made  a  sleeping  apartment 
finer  than  any  in  a  first-class  hotel.  The  traveler 
being  thus  equipped,  there  was  no  difficulty  what- 
ever in  keeping  perfectly  comfortable  in  the 


60  RANCH     LIFE 

stormiest  weather.  Tales  have  been  told  of  men 
on  the  prairie  being  annoyed  by  snakes  crawling 
into  their  beds  at  night,  but  nothing  of  that  kind 
occurred  to  these  pioneers. 

One  reason  why  invalids  whose  lungs  were 
more  or  less  affected  preferred  the  life  of  a  herder 
to  that  of  any  other  was  the  constant  life  in  the 
open  air  both  night  and  day.  No  one  who  took 
proper  care  of  himself  was  injured  by  this  kind 
of  exposure,  but  greatly  benefited.  There  is  per- 
sonal knowledge  of  dozens  who  came  from  the 
east  to  Colorado  with  tuberculosis  being  cured  by 
remaining  in  the  mild  climate  of  the  Arkansas 
valley  for  two  or  three  years.  The  almost  perpet- 
ual sunshine  and  the  absence  of  excessive  moist- 
ure make  the  atmosphere  a  healing  tonic,  and 
while  the  spaces  eaten  out  in  the  lungs  are  not  re- 
placed by  new  lung  substance,  yet  the  abcesses  are 
healed  and  the  disease  thus  cured.  Personal  ex- 
perience proved  also  that  the  chest  is  enlarged 
and  the  breathing  power  made  stronger  and  the 
inhalation  more  abundant,  by  the  great  exertion 
required  to  take  in  a  larger  quantity  of  the  light 
air  in  Colorado  than  what  has  been  habitual  in 
the  damper  climate  of  the  eastern  states.  At  any 
rate,  the  physicians  of  the  eastern  states  discov- 
ered long  since  that  at  least  in  the  first  stages  of 
consumption,  their  best  prescription  directs  the 
patient  should  migrate  to  Colorado.  But  coming 
to  Colorado  was  not  all ;  a  patient  might  come  to 


RANCH     LIFE      IN     COLORADO          61 

Colorado  and  by  going  to  too  high  an  altitude  at 
first  and  especially  by  not  remaining  in  the  loca- 
tion where  he  received  the  most  relief  he  might 
not  improve  especially  if  he  became  impatient  or 
lonesome  and  returned  to  see  his  family  or  friends 
in  the  east.  In  the  latter  case  he  not  only  did  not 
recover  but  in  many  instances  quickly  died. 


THE    SOCIAL    LIFE    OF    THE    RANCH. 

It  was  fortunate  that  this  American  made  a 
location  not  only  in  an  equable  and  desirable 
climate  under  the  bluest  of  skies  and  the  most 
propitious  surroundings,  but  that  it  was  so  close 
to  a  community  like  Pueblo,  in  which  there  could 
be  found  friends  and  neighbors.  Drives  to  town 
were  naturally  frequent,  and  the  ranch  as  con- 
stantly being  visited  by  persons  who  had  also 
sought  the  west,  at  least  partly,  for  its  freedom 
from  conventional  society.  There  lived  here  an 
intelligent  community  of  men  and  women,  most 
of  whom  had  fine  culture  and  were  possessed  of 
all  the  qualities  desirable  in  social  intercourse, 
courteous,  generous,  considerate  and  friendly. 
There  were  ministers  of  the  gospel,  teachers,  law- 
yers, doctors,  bankers,  merchants  and  mechanics. 
They  had  too  much  love  of  freedom  and  adventure 
to  remain  in  the  east  after  becoming  aware  of  the 
unoccupied  and  boundless  attractions  of  the  Rocky 


62  RANCH     LIFE 

Mountain  region.  Almost  every  Sunday  visitors 
came  to  the  ranch,  and  the  neighbors  who  lived 
beyond,  on  their  way  to  or  from  town,  made  fre- 
quent pleasant  calls  and  gave  friendly  greetings. 
Mr.  Charles  Goodnight,  Mr.  Henry  Cresswell, 
Professor  Boggs,  J.  J.  Smith  and  Michael  Ma- 
honey  were  among  the  pleasant  passers-by.  From 
Pueblo  would  come  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Irving  W.  Stan- 
ton,  Judge  Moses  Hallett,  Judge  Henry  C.  Thatch- 
er and  R.  M.  Stevenson,  the  editor  of  the  "Chief- 
tain." In  1874  Gov.  Frederick  W.  Pitkin  came 
with  his  family  in  search  of  health,  which  he  had 
failed  to  find  by  traveling  in  almost  every  other 
region  of  the  globe.  He  was  in  an  exceedingly  ad- 
vanced state  of  tuberculosis  of  the  lungs,  and  lo- 
cating at  first  in  Pueblo,  his  lungs  were  entirely 
healed  by  his  staying  there  in  the  winter  months 
and  in  the  hot  months  of  the  summer  traveling 
in  a  wagon  through  the  mountains.  He  was  elected 
Governor  of  the  State  in  1878  and  lived  for  twelve 
years,  although  quite  active  in  politics  and  the 
practice  of  the  law. 

The  facilities  for  social  functions  in  the  town 
of  Pueblo  at  that  early  date  were  not  expected 
to  be  first-class,  but  thoroughly  enjoyed,  because 
the  people  in  this  manner  came  closer  to  each 
other,  overlooked  the  necessary  annoyances  which 
accompany  all  border  life,  while  good  will  and 
humor  prevailed  at  all  times.  Dances,  dinner- 
parties, conversations  frequently  occurred.  The 


RANCH     LIFE      IN     COLORADO          63 

drama  was  necessarily  more  or  less  neglected,  but 
the  "Two  Orphans"  given  in  the  Court  House 
without  any  scenery,  by  a  traveling  company  and 
an  opera  presented  in  Chilcot's  Hall,  also  without 
scenery  or  orchestra,  a  piano  supplying  the  music, 
gave  a  great  deal  of  pleasure  and  merriment. 
"Jarley's  Wax  Works"  got  up  by  local  talent  for 
the  benefit  of  some  charity  perhaps  supplied  pas- 
time of  the  most  laughable  and  enjoyable  char- 
acter. 

Friends  and  relatives  came  from  the  eastern 
states  also,  especially  after  the  Denver  &  Rio 
Grande  Railroad  was  built  into  Pueblo  from  Den- 
ver. This  gave  a  continuous  railway  line  from 
Chicago  or  New  York,  or  any  point  on  the  rail- 
roads of  the  east,  to  Pueblo.  It  may  be  said  that 
when  this  occurred,  the  real  pioneer  days  were 
over,  for  when  those  luxuries  of  civilization, 
which  were  enjoyed  in  the  east  could  be  obtained 
by  railroad  and  laid  down  so  readily  at  one's  very 
door,  there  was  a  marked  transformation  from 
the  homely  comforts  of  pioneer  life  to  the  adorn- 
ments and  frivolities  of  civilization.  When  any- 
thing bought  in  the  stores  could  be  purchased  for 
less  than  25c,  self-denial  was  thrown  to  the  winds 
while  in  time  better  houses,  better  furniture,  some 
works  of  art  and  libraries  began  to  appear  in 
various  homes.  The  family  whose  ranch  life  is 
here  recorded  brought  much  of  the  furniture  they 
used  in  the  east  in  1870,  and  never  felt  called  upon 


64  RANCH      LIFE 

to  do  without  carpets  or  bedsteads.  Among  the 
luxuries  was  a  library  of  books.  The  new  adobe 
house  had  been  built  with  wide  fire  places  and 
good-sized  rooms,  so  that  in  winter  when  fires 
were  necessary  they  were  made  of  cottonwood 
found  in  such  abundance  in  the  drift  piles  along 
the  river  and  the  pinon  wood,  so  pitchy  and  in- 
flammable, from  the  hills.  So  that  comforts  were 
not  wanting  at  any  season  of  the  year.  An  adobe 
house,  while  warm  in  winter,  is  cool  in  summer. 
This  house  plastered  on  the  outside  did  not  show 
very  apparently  its  construction  of  adobes.  It 
had  a  large  stone-walled  cellar,  good  foundations, 
and  here  friends  from  Pueblo,  or  the  east,  were 
welcomed  with  a  warm  greeting,  to  pleasant 
sleeping  rooms  and  a  cuisine  of  white  fish,  chan- 
nel-cat, mutton  fattened  on  the  wild  grasses  of 
the  prairie,  tasting  like  wild  meat,  the  most 
thrifty  dark  Brahma  chickens,  antelope  steak, 
home-made  bread,  butter  made  on  the  ranch,  milk 
and  cream  from  the  home  dairy  and  jam  of  red 
raspberries  picked  on  the  mountains. 

Two  children  gave  vivacity  to  this  ranch  life. 
A  boy  and  a  girl  were  the  most  precious  and  in- 
teresting members  of  this  family.  They  reveled 
in  the  inexhaustible  sources  of  human  happiness 
in  a  region  of  such  newness  and  freedom.  They 
were  the  chief  pets  of  the  older  men  and  women 
and  had  likewise  their  pets  in  horses,  dog,  sheep 
and  pigs.  In  summer  they  gathered  flowers  and 


RANCH      LIFE      IN      COLORADO  65 

grasses,  roamed  the  prairie  with  a  New  Found- 
land  dog  as  a  constant  companion  and  played  in 
the  waters  of  the  river.  Their  grandparents  on 
their  mother's  side  resided  six  miles  up  the  river 
and  the  visits  there  were  always  greatly  enjoyed, 
as  were  also  the  drives  into  Pueblo.  They  grew 
strong  and  active  in  such  surroundings,  giving 
pride  and  pleasure  to  their  parents. 

Excursions  for  pleasure  to  other  localities 
were  frequently  taken.  A  trip  into  the  mountains 
in  the  summer  time,  or  to  the  top  of  Pike's  Peak, 
or  to  Manitou  Springs,  or  to  Denver,  made  always 
a  delightful  diversion.  When  business  had  to  be 
transacted  at  a  distance  more  or  less  pleasure  was 
added  to  it  by  driving  a  team  in  a  spring  wagon 
over  the  fine  natural  roads,  the  weather  generally 
almost  perfect  and  the  fine  scenery  of  the  moun- 
tains on  the  west  always  in  view.  The  sunsets 
were  glorious.  The  changing  tints  made  by  the 
reflection  of  the  setting  sun  on  the  fleeting  clouds 
above  were  of  the  greatest  magnificence  and  ex- 
quisite in  gorgeousness.  Even  in  the  hottest  days 
of  summer,  when  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun  seemed 
unbearable,  it  was  always  cool  in  the  shade  and 
at  night.  So  cool  were  the  nights  that  one  did 
not  care  to  sleep  without  a  covering,  but  most  of 
the  men  on  the  ranch  preferred  to  sleep  out  in  the 
open  rather  than  in  the  house.  The  constant  sun- 
shine was  not  tiresome ;  that  and  the  purity  of  the 
atmosphere  made  things  very  clear  to  the  eye  at  a 


66  RANCHLIFE 

long  distance  and  the  mountains  that  were  always 
in  view  from  thirty  to  fifty  miles  away,  appeared 
at  times  to  be  less  than  a  tenth  of  that  distance. 
On  the  prairie,  there  being  no  obstructions  to  the 
view,  the  distant  horizon  was  like  that  on  the 
ocean  except  for  the  mountains  on  the  west,  which 
rose  in  sublimity  and  grandeur.  Pike's  Peak  could 
be  seen  from  a  point  a  hundred  and  eighty-five 
miles  to  the  east.  In  going  from  the  home 
ranch  to  that  of  Adobe  creek,  at  a  certain 
point  on  the  road  one  was  sure  to  see  in 
the  middle  of  a  sunshiny  summer  day  a  mi- 
rage of  cool  water  and  green  fields.  These  were 
illusions  very  grateful  to  the  thirsty  traveler 
while  the  other  illusion  of  shortened  distance  from 
point  to  point  kept  up  a  pleasing  hope  which  really 
shortened  a  journey  and  gave  zest  to  every-day 
life  in  this  "land  of  the  blest."  These  peculiarities 
of  this  life  in  the  far  west  really  gave  it  its  at- 
tractiveness. Of  course,  these  alone  would  not 
people  a  country  nor  build  an  empire,  yet  if  the 
pioneers  had  experienced  dull  and  cloudy  days 
and  the  heat  of  mid-day  in  summer  had  been  con- 
tinued through  the  night,  had  the  land  been  cov- 
ered with  thick  heavy  woods  shutting  off  these 
enchanting  vistas,  the  pioneer  life  would  have 
been  less  pleasurable  and  therefore  much  less  use- 
ful. Had  rains  fallen  in  great  quantity  making 
impassable  roads  the  only  lines  of  communication, 
there  would  have  been  less  intercourse,  much 


RANCH      LIFE      IN     COLORADO          67 

more  hard  toil,  the  winter  grazing  destroyed  by 
too  much  moisture  and  generally  less  optimistic 
life.  The  absence  of  moisture  alone  made  the 
grass  nutritious  in  the  winter  time. 

The  first  impressions  made  upon  women  com- 
ing to  Colorado  gave  them  no  pleasure.  They 
naturally  looked  on  the  outdoor  life  here  as  being 
the  same  as  that  in  the  east.  The  log  cabin  or 
the  adobe  house  did  not  "greatly  please"  them, 
but  after  remaining  a  few  months,  or  a  few  years, 
and  experiencing  the  life,  there  was  either  no  de- 
sire to  return  to  the  east,  or  if  returning,  a  strong 
desire  arose  to  get  back  to  the  bright  and  free 
life  of  the  prairies  and  mountains. 

The  following  account  gives  a  full  description 
of  the  most  pleasurable  diversion  a  resident  of 
mountain  districts  can  have.  Trout  fishing  is 
pursued  by  so  many  men  without  knowledge  of 
the  necessary  equipment,  or  of  the  proper  method, 
that  it  seems  necessary  to  give  herein  a  full  treat- 
ment of  the  subject.  It  should  be  not  only  a  part 
of  ranch  life  but  an  outing  in  the  mountains  is 
now  so  common  in  the  life  of  every  resident  of 
Colorado  that  no  apology  is  required  for  inserting 
herein  how  that  outing  can  be  made  happy  and 
desirable. 

FLY    FISHING. 

To  many  men  the  most  fascinating  sport  in 
Colorado  is  that  of  fly  fishing  in  the  mountains. 


68  RANCHLIFE 

Expert  hunters  usually  prefer  elk  or  deer  hunt- 
ing to  trout  fishing.  True,  it  is  more  exciting, 
but  requires  a  vaster  exercise  of  energy.  The 
fisherman  may  be  a  less  active  and  energetic  per- 
son than  a  hunter,  but  on  many  streams  it  re- 
quires the  exercise  of  a  great  deal  of  strength 
and  endurance  to  wade  the  stream  and  capture  the 
trout.  It  is  the  expert  fisherman  only  who  gets 
the  full  measure  of  the  sport  and  who  really  pur- 
sues it  more  for  the  pleasure  there  is  in  it  than 
for  any  profit  in  large  catches.  If  one  is  to  re- 
ceive the  full  delights  of  the  sport  the  commercial 
element  must  be  entirely  eliminated.  The  fisher- 
man should  be  properly  equipped  and  this  means 
that  when  he  casts  the  fly  he  must  feel  perfectly 
comfortable  although  wading  in  mid-stream  with 
perhaps  the  sun  beating  down  in  full  splendor 
from  the  zenith  in  mid-summer.  He  must  wear  a 
cowboy's  sombrero,  nearly  white  in  color  and 
heavy  enough  to  shed  any  rain.  He  must  wear 
waders  that  come  above  the  waist  which  will  not 
leak  a  drop  of  water  and  over  these  a  pair  of 
overalls  to  protect  the  waders  from  snags  and 
from  wearing  into  holes.  Over  these  on  his  feet  he 
must  have  woolen  socks  and  canvas  light  colored 
shoes  with  hob  nails  in  the  soles  to  prevent  slip- 
ping. A  very  light  rubber  cape  with  arms  to 
fasten  around  the  neck  and  reach  not  lower  than  a 
few  inches  below  the  top  of  the  waders,  to  be  put 
on  in  case  of  rain.  This  cape  must  be  light 


RANCH      LIFE      IN     COLORADO          69 

enough  to  wrap  in  so  small  a  bundle  that  it  will  go 
into  a  hip  pocket  in  the  overalls.  In  another  hip 
pocket  he  will  carry  his  lunch  which  should  be  a 
very  light  one.  In  two  pockets  in  front  of  the 
overalls  he  will  carry  such  other  things  as  his 
experience  proves  to  be  desirable.  In  the  pockets 
of  his  flannel  shirt  should  be  a  knife,  a  fly-book 
and  an  aluminum  box,  thin  and  just  wide  enough 
to  carry  a  leader  and  some  flies.  In  this  box  will 
be  a  wet  pad  to  keep  these  flies  and  leaders  moist 
enough  to  use  instantly.  Dry  strands  in  leaders 
and  flies  break  too  easily  to  be  used  without  wet- 
ting beforehand.  A  desirable  adjunct  is  a  spring 
scale  for  weighing  the  fish.  He  should  wear  no 
heavy  clothing  under  the  waders  and  only  a  single 
shirt,  no  coat  nor  trousers.  The  waders  being 
impervious  to  the  water  from  the  outside  also 
confine  the  perspiration,  therefore  the  waders 
should  be  very  loose  around  the  body  above  the 
waist  to  allow  the  perspiration  to  evaporate,  and 
too  much  clothing  makes  the  fisherman  uncom- 
fortable in  a  short  time  so  that  he  does  not  enjoy 
his  fishing.  He  must  wear  cotton  gloves  with  the 
tips  of  the  fingers  cut  off,  and  the  wristlets  long 
enough  always  to  cover  the  space  around  the  wrist 
not  covered  by  the  cuff  of  the  shirt  sleeve,  other- 
wise his  wrist  will  soon  become  sore  from  blister- 
ing in  the  sun.  He  must  carry  a  fishing  rod  made 
of  many  strips  of  bamboo  and  divided  into  three 
sections,  the  whole  rod  weighing  from  five  to 


70  RANCH     LIFE 

seven  ounces  only  and  about  ten  feet  long.  The 
reel  seat  of  the  pole  should  be  nickel-plated  metal, 
and  the  reel  a  good  strong  one  made  of  rubber  and 
nickel-plated  steel.  The  line  running  from  this 
reel  through  guides  to  the  end  of  the  pole  should 
not  be  too  light,  for  a  line  too  light  is  easily  blown 
by  the  wind  and  does  not  stay  where  cast,  but  the 
line  should  be  of  the  best  material.  The  leader 
should  be  at  least  six  feet  long  and  where  tied 
upon  the  line,  the  tying  knot  should  be  made  as 
small  as  possible,  and  there  should  be  no  projec- 
tion of  the  end  of  the  line  from  its  connection 
with  the  leader.  At  the  end  of  the  leader  is  a  loop 
and  into  this  loop  will  be  inserted  the  loop  of  the 
fly,  thus  requiring  no  tying.  There  are  infinite 
varieties  of  flies  with  as  many  fancy  names,  but 
it  is  found  that  the  Coachman  and  the  Royal 
Coachman  tied  upon  a  No.  8  Sproat  hook  are  the 
most  effective  in  the  mountain  streams  of  south- 
ern Colorado.  The  creel  should  be  of  willow  large 
enough  to  hold  from  fourteen  to  eighteen  pounds 
of  fish,  with  nickel  fastenings  and  no  leather 
bindings.  This  strung  upon  the  left  hip  and  held 
over  the  right  shoulder  by  the  modern  creel  strap 
will  finish  the  equipment  of  an  expert  fisherman. 
One  thus  equipped  will  wade  to  the  middle  of  a 
clear  mountain  stream  and  fish  up-stream,  vary- 
ing his  course  from  one  side  to  the  other  of  the 
stream  by  the  nature  of  its  waters.  To  do  this 
the  stream  must  not  be  too  large ;  it  must  be  clear 


RANCH      LIFE      IN      COLORADO          71 

of  drift  and  logs,  not  too  rocky,  and  there  should 
be  no  mosquitoes — there  are  plenty  of  streams 
where  there  are  no  mosquitos.  If  now  the  stream 
is  reasonably  well  filled  with  speckled  trout,  and 
the  fisherman  knows  where  and  how  to  cast,  he 
ought  to  be  able,  within  a  reasonable  distance, 
to  fill1  that  fourteen-pound  creel.  He  of  course 
understands  that  the  fly  must  not  be  allowed  to 
lie  still  upon  the  water.  A  slight  movement  of  the 
wrist  will  make  it  appear  to  the  fish  like  a  live  fly, 
and  he  must  not  cast  in  one  place  more  than  twice. 
If  the  fish  is  going  to  take  the  fly  at  all,  he  seizes 
it  at  once.  In  a  good  stream,  it  will  take  about 
twenty  fish,  or  perhaps  twenty-five,  to  fill  the 
creel.  A  record  of  thirty  fish  caught  in  the 
South  Fork  of  White  River,  gives  a  weight  of 
twenty-three  pounds.  A  good  fisherman  knows 
just  where  the  trout  lies  in  the  stream,  and  if 
on  a  riffle  it  is  always  behind  a  rock  where 
there  is  an  eddy  and  still  water,  with  its  head 
up-stream  invariably;  but  the  large  and  strong 
fellows  occupy  the  still  holes  on  the  sides 
of  the  stream  close  to  the  running  water,  where 
they  lie  and  watch  for  any  food  that  may  come 
down  the  stream.  The  largest  fish  occupy  the 
largest  holes  until  they  are  caught,  and  then  the 
next  largest  come  in  and  takes  their  place.  It  is 
because  the  fish  always  lies  with  its  head  up- 
stream or  feeds  as  it  moves  up-stream,  that  it  is 
best  that  the  fisherman  cast  up  instead  of  down. 


72  RANCH     LIFE 

He  can  thus  get  closer  to  the  fish  without  its  see- 
ing him,  and  the  closer  he  can  get  the  surer  he  is 
of  hooking  the  fish.  But  if  the  fish  sees  the  fish- 
erman first,  it  is  off  like  a  shot,  and  in  that  case 
there  is  no  chance  of  hooking  it.  A  fish  is  not  al- 
ways caught  when  it  is  hooked,  for  with  the  light 
tackle  just  described,  it  is  not  safe  to  lift  the  fish 
out  of  the  water  with  the  tackle.  When  hooked 
it  immediately  runs  away  with  the  fly,  and  it  is 
wise  to  let  it  run  until  it  stops  of  its  own  accord, 
but  if  possible,  not  to  let  it  run  into  very  swift 
water,  for  then  it  has  the  weight  of  the  water  to 
assist  in  carrying  it  away  from  the  fisherman  and 
to  break,  if  possible,  the  hold  of  the  hook,  or  to 
break  the  line  or  the  rod  itself.  As  soon  as  it 
stops  running,  then  the  reel  should  be  used  vigor- 
ously and  as  rapidly  as  possible,  the  fish  drawn 
to  the  fisherman,  holding  the  butt  of  the  pole  with 
the  left  hand  and  working  the  reel  with  the  right 
hand.  If  it  can  be  drawn  into  still  water,  it  can 
be  very  easily  managed  if  the  fisherman  does  not 
lose  his  head.  There  should  be  no  movement  of 
the  body  while  the  fish  is  being  played,  other  than 
the  necessary  working  of  the  reel  with  the  right 
hand.  The  rod  should  be  held  perfectly  still  and 
the  bend  of  it  will  readily  hold  an  ordinary  fish 
in  place  in  the  water  until  it  gives  up  of  its  own 
accord.  If  the  pull  of  the  fish,  after  being  drawn 
toward  the  fisherman,  is  found  to  be  too  heavy 
for  the  safety  of  the  tackle,  the  fish  should  be  al- 


RANCH      LIFE      IN     COLORADO          73 

lowed  to  run  again,  which  it  will  do  for  a  less 
distance  than  it  did  at  first,  and  as  soon  as  it 
stops,  it  should  be  reeled  in  again.  All  this  time 
the  fisherman  and  the  rod  should  be  perfectly 
still,  not  even  moving  a  finger,  for  should  the  fish- 
erman move  his  body  and  especially  his  foot  under 
the  water,  it  increases  the  exertions  of  the  fish  to 
get  away,  and  it  is  more  likely  to  be  lost.  After 
two  or  three  trials  of  rushing  with  the  hook  fast- 
ened in  its  mouth,  the  bend  of  the  light  rod  will 
easily  hold  the  trout  in  place  until  it  is  tired  out. 
This  condition  is  quickly  observable  by  an  expert 
fisherman,  because  the  trout  turns  over  on  its  side 
and  rises  to  the  surface  of  the  water.  Then  the 
fisherman  can  easily  draw  it  within  reach  of  his 
hand,  when  he  stoops  down,  inserts  his  thumb  in 
the  mouth  of  the  fish  and  two  fingers  in  the  gill, 
and  joining  thumb  and  fingers,  lifts  it  quickly  out 
of  the  water.  If  thus  held,  no  fish  can  get  away. 
If  the  fish  is  of  good  size,  the  fisherman  carries 
the  trout  thus  to  the  shore,  and  lays  his  tackle 
down  a  sufficient  distance  from  shore,  so  if  the 
fish  is  dropped,  it  cannot  get  back  into  the  water, 
takes  his  knife  and  quickly  stabs  the  fish  on  top 
of  the  head  between  the  eyes.  This  kills  it  at  once. 
The  hook  is  then  disengaged  from  the  mouth,  the 
fish  put  in  the  creel,  and  the  creel  securely  fast- 
ened before  the  next  casting. 

Fishing  from  the  shore  of  a  stream  is  not  sat- 
isfactory. The  fisherman  who  makes  large  catches 


74  RANCHLIPE 

is  the  one  who  wades  the  stream.  This  is  economy 
in  time  and  strength,  because  always  on  a  trout 
stream  there  are  so  many  places  on  the  shore 
where  the  fisherman  must  go  around  a  fine  fishing 
hole,  and  if  he  undertakes  to  cast  from  the  shore, 
the  branches  of  overhanging  trees  and  bushes  are 
apt  to  catch  his  hook  and  line,  whereas  in  the 
middle  of  the  stream  there  is  usually  nothing  to 
interfere  with  the  free  and  easy  casting.  If  the 
stream  happens  to  be  in  the  high  altitudes,  the 
early  mornings  are  too  cold  for  successful  fishing, 
and  the  fish  are  sluggish  until  the  sun  gets  high 
enough  to  warm  the  air  a  little  next  the  water, 
and  it  also  thus  dissipates  any  fog  that  might  be 
hanging  over  the  surface.  In  a  warm  rain,  the 
fish  are  apt  to  take  the  fly  more  readily  than  at 
other  times.  This  is  very  likely  caused  by  the 
falling  of  insects  into  the  stream  beaten  down 
from  the  overhanging  trees  by  the  descending 
drops  of  rain,  and  also  carried  into  the  stream  by 
the  swelling  rivulets  along  the  shore.  This  addi- 
tional supply  of  food  being  observed  by  the  trout, 
accounts  for  their  greater  activity  during  the 
rain.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  the  wise  fisherman 
carries  with  him  the  rubber  cape  spoken  of  above. 
When  the  fisherman  has  filled  his  creel,  he  steps 
on  the  shore  and  lays  his  speckled  beauties  upon 
a  grassy  spot  ready  for  cleaning  (for  every  good 
fisherman  cleans  his  fish  before  returning  to 
camp),  his  eyes  will  behold  as  beautiful  a  picture 


RANCH      LIFE      IN      COLORADO  75 

as  was  ever  looked  upon.  The  trout  is  a  very  beau- 
tiful fish  and  especially  the  native  mountain  trout. 
While  their  spots  are  all  black,  yet  the  many  hues 
of  their  long  and  slender  forms  and  the  perfect 
proportions  of  their  bodies  and  heads  make  a  very 
fine  picture.  The  fisherman  cleans  the  fish  with 
a  knife  that  he  carries,  eats  his  lunch  if  he  has 
not  already  done  so;  if  a  smoker,  lights  his  pipe, 
and  leisurely  wends  his  way  back  to  camp.  The 
camp,  if  not  in  a  ranch  house,  should  be  made  in 
some  beautiful  spot,  of  two  walled  tents,  one  for 
sleeping  and  loafing  purposes,  and  the  other  for 
kitchen,  pantry,  etc.  In  the  sleeping  tent  should 
be  a  good  sized  cot  with  a  comfortable  bed  and 
plenty  of  blankets.  It  should  be  supplied  with  a 
folding  table,  a  folding  chair,  a  candle-stick  and 
candle,  and  if  possible,  a  coal-oil  lamp.  There 
should  be  such  books  and  magazines  as  satisfy  the 
tastes  of  the  fisherman.  He  has  a  guide  with  him 
who  does  the  cooking,  who  knows  how  to  fry  fish 
to  a  turn,  can  make  good  hot  biscuit,  aromatic 
coffee,  and  have  the  meals  temptingly  awaiting 
the  returning  fisherman,  who  usually  comes  home 
tired  and  hungry. 

Mountain  streams  are  bordered  usually  on 
both  sides  by  high  hills  or  mountains  whose  sides 
are  covered  with  pine,  spruce  and  other  varieties 
of  the  evergreen  tree.  If  the  fisherman  has  no  cot 
in  his  tent,  a  most  comfortable  bed  can  be  made 
from  the  boughs  of  these  evergreens,  especially 


76  RANCHLIFE 

of  the  silver  balsam,  and  by  patiently  preparing 
only  the  extreme  twigs  of  this  tree,  and  by  making 
the  bed  thick  enough,  there  are  no  more  comfort- 
able sleeping  quarters  in  the  world.  The  only 
objection  to  a  bed  of  this  kind  is  that  if  made 
upon  the  ground  there  are  many  small  four-footed 
animals  who  are  liable  to  disturb  the  slumbers  of 
its  occupant.  This  can  be  avoided  by  driving 
down  four  forked  stakes  at  proper  distances  and 
laying  cross  poles  in  the  forks  for  the  head  and 
foot  and  on  these,  laying  proper  sized  poles  of  suf- 
ficient length.  Evergreens  can  be  laid  on  these 
poles. 

Young  and  vigorous  fishermen  seem  to  enjoy 
this  sport  without  making  themselves  as  thor- 
oughly comfortable  as  heretofore  described,  but 
older  and  more  experienced  men  always  do  so, 
and  later  in  life  when  pursuing  their  favorite 
recreation,  they  seek  their  quarters  at  some  ranch- 
man's home  near  the  stream  and  enjoy  the  warmer 
quarters  than  those  furnished  in  a  tent.  Towards 
the  close  of  the  season,  nights  get  colder,  more 
rains  come  in  the  mountains,  and  a  good  bed  in  a 
comfortable  cabin  becomes  a  necessary  luxury. 
The  fisherman,  in  order  to  really  enjoy  the  sport 
through  the  season,  must  not  be  too  eager  to  catch 
a  great  many  fish.  It  is  wiser  and  more  humane 
to  catch  just  what  will  be  devoured  on  the  table, 
and  if  this  can  be  done  by  fishing  only  every  other 
day,  or  every  third  day,  it  gives  a  very  desirable 


RANCH      LIFE     IN     COLORADO          77 

leisure,  which  can  be  well  spent  in  reading  or 
writing,  or  wandering  through  the  woods  and 
studying  the  habits  and  interesting  characteristics 
of  the  great  variety  of  animals  always  seen  in 
such  places.  The  gophers  and  little  ground  squir- 
rels are  always  numerous  in  these  mountain 
camps,  and  if  not  shot  at  but  encouraged,  some 
of  them  can  almost  be  tamed.  When  lying  in  the 
day-time  resting  on  the  camp  cot,  these  cunning 
little  animals  will  sometimes  enter  the  tent  and 
perch  themselves  on  one's  shoe,  looking  wonder- 
ingly  into  the  face  of  the  beholder.  The  camp 
cooking  will  bring  a  great  many  insects,  especially 
flies,  and  these  like  to  roost  on  the  ceiling  of  the 
tent.  This  makes  a  harvest  for  the  bald  hornets 
whose  nests  are  never  very  far  away,  and  they 
come  lazily  buzzing  into  the  tent,  catching  the  flies 
one  at  a  time,  and  bearing  them  away  to  their 
nests.  When  a  bald  hornet  catches  a  fly  he  holds 
him  tight  and  instantly  cuts  off  his  wings.  He  then 
leisurely  flies  away  to  his  nest  but  does  not  kill 
the  fly.  He  is  a  skillful  surgeon,  and  with  his  cut- 
ting instruments,  which  seem  as  sharp  as  razors, 
he  punctures  the  joints  of  the  fly  at  just  the 
proper  places  to  paralyze  all  movement,  and  then 
stores  them  away  for  future  food.  In  August  of 
every  year,  fishing  is  not  the  only  method  of  pro- 
curing fresh  food  even  in  the  mountains.  Then 
the  mountain  grouse  become  large  enough  for 
shooting,  and  in  the  open  season  many  of  them 


78  RANCH     LIFE 

grace  the  table.  Next  to  fishing  itself,  as  a  source 
of  pleasure,  the  social  intercourse  of  companions, 
one  of  whom  at  least  every  good  fisherman  always 
takes  with  him,  is  the  next  in  enjoyment.  No  one 
likes  to  be  alone  miles  from  any  human  habita- 
tion, along  a  mountain  stream  and  beside  the 
solemn  woods  and  hills,  without  some  genial  com- 
panion to  share  these  with  him.  There  are  hours 
day  and  evening  when  the  fisherman  is  not  em- 
ployed in  the  pursuit  of  his  game.  If  at  this  time 
he  can  have  an  intellectual  companion,  a  good 
story  teller  or  a  fine  conversationalist,  the  season 
for  his  outing  passes  much  more  pleasantly. 

There  should  always  be  in  camp  a  good  riding 
pony  and  saddle  and  bridle  for  each  fisherman. 
He  should  visit  the  ranchmen  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  or  some  miles  away,  taking  as  a  present 
some  fish  or  grouse,  or  some  artificial  flies,  and  he 
will  always  receive  in  return  many  courtesies  and 
remembrances  that  are  exceedingly  palatable,  and 
he  will  usually  find  these  pioneers  to  be  men  and 
women  of  more  than  ordinary  intelligence.  These 
ranchmen  are  not  always  skillful  fishermen.  Their 
daily  toil  is  too  arduous  in  harvesting  their  crops 
during  the  open  season,  and  at  other  times  they 
are  prohibited  by  law  from  taking  trout  from 
the  stream.  It  is  a  well-known  custom  of  these 
mountaineers  not  to  kill  their  own  domestic  ani- 
mals, aside  from  chickens,  for  their  tables,  but  at 
any  time  of  the  year  to  have  one  venison  which 


RANCH      LIFE      IN     COLORADO          79 

they  entirely  consume  before  killing  another.  The 
fisherman,  of  course,  will  not  be  allowed  by  the 
game  wardens  to  kill  deer  out  of  season,  but  if  by 
an  exchange  of  courtesies  he  can  procure  a  ven- 
ison steak  from  a  ranchman,  who  is  a  permanent 
resident,  it  adds  very  greatly  to  the  pleasures  of 
his  meals. 

The  building  and  keeping  of  a  fire  of  the  right 
kind  in  a  fisherman's  camp  is  quite  an  art.  He 
should  have  pitched  his  tent  on  a  very  gently 
rolling  plot  of  ground  so  that  water  would  run 
away  from  the  tent,  and  in  front  of  the  tent  at  a 
proper  distance  he  should  build  a  semi-circular 
wall  of  rocks  laid  as  high  as  they  would  lie  with- 
out falling,  with  the  concave  side  toward  the  open 
flaps  of  the  tent.  A  small  fire  in  this  open  fire- 
place would  be  much  more  effective  in  cooking 
and  warm  the  inside  of  the  tent  much  more  than 
would  a  flat  fire  without  any  wall  behind  it. 
These  fires  are  easily  kindled  by  a  bundle  of  dry 
twigs  broken  from  the  extreme  ends  of  branches 
of  the  aspen  or  cottonwood  trees.  Even  in  rainy 
weather,  when  all  other  parts  of  the  wood  may  be 
saturated  with  water,  these  extreme  ends  are  al- 
ways dry  enough  to  be  quickly  lighted  from  a 
match.  There  should  be  a  spring  of  cold  water 
near  by,  if  possible,  for  the  water  of  the  stream 
is  not  as  cool  and  refreshing  as  that  from  a 
spring.  It  can  thus  be  seen  from  this  long  de- 
scription of  a  fisherman's  outing,  what  happiness 


80  RANCH      LIFE 

can  be  secured  and  why  a  season  thus  spent  is  so 
fascinating  to  the  average  man  of  good  health  and 
robust  constitution,  who  is  compelled  to  spend  the 
rest  of  the  year  in  the  dull  pursuit  of  business. 


THE     CLOSING     PERIOD. 

After  experimenting  in  the  way  described, 
in  this  free  and  open  country  life,  for  a  period  of 
five  years,  the  American  thought  best  to  draw  it 
gradually  to  a  close.  Not  that  the  life  had  become 
tiresome  or  unprofitable,  for  health,  which  was 
the  first  object  of  going  into  it,  had  come  in 
abundance,  nor  had  it  been  without  compensation 
in  a  pecuniary  way.  But  it  had  not  proven  to  be 
sufficiently  profitable  or  agreeable  to  make  it  a 
life  occupation.  With  previous  knowledge  in 
farming  and  stock-raising,  and  a  more  natural 
adaptation  to  these  occupations,  there  is  no  doubt 
that  it  could  have  been  made  of  sufficient  pecuni- 
ary profit  to  induce  its  continuance.  But  other 
lines  of  business  more  congenial  and  more  under- 
stood offered  better  inducements  with  much  less 
anxiety  and  much  less  exertion.  The  last  sheep 
were  sold  in  1875.  In  1876  business  connections 
in  the  City  of  Pueblo  were  formed,  and  while  the 
residence  on  the  home  ranch  was  kept  up  for  four 
years  thereafter,  yet  as  rapidly  as  possible  the 
odds  and  ends  of  the  stock  and  dairy  business 


RANCH      LIFE      IN      COLORADO  81 

were  closed  out  and  the  sale  of  ranches  went  on  as 
circumstances  would  permit.  From  March,  1876, 
to  the  summer  of  1880,  a  daily  drive  into  the  town 
in  the  morning  and  a  drive  back  to  the  ranch  in 
the  evening,  formed  a  part  of  the  regular  duties 
of  life. 

The  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  Railroad  entered 
Pueblo  in  1872  and  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  in 
March,  1876.  Both  these  roads  soon  thereafter 
built  their  lines  up  the  Arkansas  valley  through 
the  home  ranch  to  the  coal  fields  near  Canon  City. 
The  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  built  its  line  on  the 
south  side  and  the  Santa  Fe  on  the  north  side ;  the 
latter  road  bed  running  between  the  house  and 
the  barn.  The  country  also  began  to  fill  up  rapid- 
ly— more  farmers  and  gardeners  came  in.  The 
bottom  lands  were  cleared  and  fenced  and  stock 
thus  cut  off  from  access  to  the  water  of  the  river. 
The  former  range  was  being  rapidly  bought  from 
the  government  by  private  parties,  and  grazing 
upon  the  public  lands  soon  became  a  thing  of  the 
past. 

The  town  of  South  Pueblo  was  laid  out  in  1872, 
and  by  1880  Pueblo  began  to  put  on  metropolitan 
proportions.  New  additions  were  being  made  to 
the  city  from  year  to  year,  buildings  were  being 
rapidly  erected,  and  when  the  first  smelter  was 
erected  in  1878,  the  steel  works  in  1881,  there 
were  altogether  too  many  attractions  in  business 
of  all  kinds  and  in  every  line  to  justify  a  continu- 


82  RANCHLIFE 

ance  in  the  slower  prospects  of  a  ranch  life.  In 
1880  the  residence  in  the  country  was  given  up. 
The  ranches  were  sold,  and  the  glorious  experi- 
ence, begun  ten  years  before,  became  entirely  a 
thing  of  the  past.  The  Denver  &  Rio  Grande 
Railroad  was  continued  to  Leadville  after  the  dis- 
covery of  carbonates,  and  eventually  built  into 
the  extreme  southwest  part  of  Colorado,  when  the 
discoveries  of  silver  ores  in  the  San  Juan  Moun- 
tains built  up  Durango,  Silverton,  Ouray  and 
eventually  all  the  towns  that  are  now  spread  along 
the  southwestern  slope  from  the  south  boundary 
line  to  Grand  Junction. 

Colorado  remained  a  territory  until  1876.  In 
that  year  it  was  admitted  into  the  Union  as  a 
state,  and  hence  is  called  the  Centennial  State. 
Its  growth  from  that  time  has  been  exceedingly 
rapid.  The  mining  of  the  precious  metals  ex- 
panded to  gigantic  proportions,  and  farming  grad- 
ually replaced  stock-raising.  It  is  now  not  profit- 
able in  the  Arkansas  valley  to  conduct  the  stock- 
growing  business  as  it  was  done  prior  to  1876. 
There  are  thousands  of  cattle  and  sheep  fed  and 
marketed,  but  they  are  not  grazed  upon  the  public 
lands  except  to  a  very  limited  extent.  They  are 
fed  and  more  surely  fattened  on  farms  with  al- 
falfa and  other  farm  products,  while  thousands  of 
sheep  are  driven  every  year  from  New  Mexico  and 
fed  the  beet  pulp  from  the  beet  sugar  manufact- 
uries,  so  many  of  which  are  doing  such  a  large 


RANCH      LIFE      IN      COLORADO  83 

business  in  the  valley.  Other  railroads  built  into 
Pueblo  in  the  later  years.  The  Denver  &  Rio 
Grande  was  extended  to  Salt  Lake  City — the  San- 
ta Fe  to  Denver  and  from  La  Junta  in  the  valley 
a  branch  of  that  road  was  built  to  San  Francisco. 
Everything  has  been  transformed.  Pueblo  has 
grown  beyond  any  early  expectations,  while  Den- 
ver with  a  population  of  over  two  hundred  thou- 
sand, is  not  only  the  capital  of  the  state,  but  the 
business  center  of  a  mountain  empire. 

It  has  been  curious  to  watch  the  advance  in 
land  values,  especially  in  ranches  with  sufficient 
water  rights  to  insure  irrigation  for  farming. 
The  home  ranch  in  its  first  sale  was  not  sold  in 
entirety.  That  part  lying  north  of  the  river  has 
changed  hands  several  times  in  these  long  years. 
The  cultivatable  part  of  it  which  could  be  covered 
by  a  ditch  from  the  river  was  divided  into  small 
tracts,  and  these  tracts  sold  to  gardeners  and  hor- 
ticulturists, first  at  a  comparatively  low  price,  but 
when  it  was  found  by  experiment  that  the  very 
finest  celery  could  be  raised  upon  this  sage  brush 
land,  its  price  rose  to  four  and  five  hundred  dol- 
lars an  acre.  Some  of  it  has  been  rented  at  $25.00 
per  acre.  A  part  of  it  was  plotted  into  town  lots 
and  given  the  name  of  the  "West  End  Addition." 
Pueblo's  City  Park,  which  lies  on  the  south  side 
of  the  river,  and  occupies  a  hundred  seventy-five 
acres  of  ground,  reaches  almost  to  the  ranch  on 
the  south  side.  New  and  better  roads  have  been 


84  RANCH      L II  FE 

built,  and  all  in  all  the  transformation  from  a  little 
stock  ranch  in  1870  to  what  it  is  in  1914,  was? 
never  anticipated  by  the  pioneer  resident,  and 
those  pioneers  could  now  scarcely  recognize  in 
the  city  of  Pueblo,  and  its  environment,  the  old 
features  which  they  loved  so  well.  Of  course, 
forty-four  years  should  bring  great  changes  in 
any  well-conditioned  region,  but  no  such  changes 
as  those  just  described,  could  occur  except  in'  a 
state  with  great  resources,  not  only  for  commer- 
cialism, but  attractive  also  for  its  physical 
features. 

The  mountains  stand  as  grand  as  in  1870,  the 
skies  are  just  as  blue,  the  sunshine  is  just  as 
bountiful,  the  climate  the  same  as  forty-four 
years  ago.  What  man  has  done  has  not  affected 
in  the  least  the  forces  of  nature,  has  not  changed 
a  single  natural  law,  nor  added  to  or  subtracted 
from  any  of  these  great  natural  features.  Yet 
changes  are  occurring  in  the  mountains  and  on 
the  plains.  The  wind,  the  rain  and  the  frost  are 
gradually  denuding  the  mountain  tops,  but  no 
change  can  be  noticed  in  the  life-time  of  a  man. 
But  the  puny  efforts  of  the  latter  in  building  cities, 
cultivating  farms,  delving  into  the  mountain  rocks 
for  precious  metals,  building  railroads,  turning 
the  water  of  the  streams  on  to  the  land,  make 
changes  quickly  observable  but  of  like  shortness 
of  duration.  After  accomplishing  these  great 
things,  man  thinks  himself  the  lord  of  the  earth ; 


RANCH      LIFE      IN      COLORADO  85 

he  thinks  he  is  subduing  nature  to  his  own  pur- 
poses ;  he  thinks  he  is  changing  the  laws  of  nature 
and  harnessing  them  to  his  own  chariot;  but  the 
world,  notwithstanding,  still  revolves  on  its  axis 
and  moves  in  its  orbit  around  the  sun  as  it  always 
did.  The  sun  still  sends  light,  heat  and  electricity 
to  the  planet.  The  eleven  motions  of  the  earth 
never  change  at  any  moment  for  the  benefit  of 
mankind.  Man  is  a  late  product  on  the  surface 
of  the  earth  and  did  not  appear  until  long  after 
the  earth  assumed  its  present  form  and  motions, 
and  it  is  altogether  likely  that  the  same  described 
operations  of  nature  will  continue  long  after  man 
and  all  his  works  have  disappeared.  Man  is  con- 
stantly reaching  out  to  know  the  meaning  of  it  all. 
He  will  perhaps  never  know  why  things  exist  just 
as  they  are.  But  a  limited  knowledge  enables  him 
to  adapt  himself  to  the  laws  of  nature,  and  thus 
he  can  support  and  continue  his  life  and  the  per- 
petuation of  that  life,  which  are  facts  plainly  visi- 
ble to  his  senses  and  are  perhaps  all  that  are 
really  necessary  to  his  welfare,  but  in  no  sense 
does  he  control  any  law  of  nature.  That  law  con- 
trols him,  and  unless  he  adapts  himself  to  it,  his 
existence  will  be  quickly  brought  to  a  close. 

The  farmers  of  Colorado,  to  whom  the  irriga- 
tion of  their  farms  is  so  irksome,  hope  and  think 
that  sometime  the  rainfall  will  increase  sufficient- 
ly to  do  away  with  the  necessity  of  irrigation.  The 
farmers  of  dry  land  have  still  more  cause  for  ex- 


86  RANCH     LIFE 

ercising  this  hope,  but  if  they  would  study  the 
statistics  of  the  Weather  Bureau,  scientifically,  it 
would  be  discovered  that  there  is  no  real  ground 
for  such  hope.  The  valley  of  the  Nile  in  Egypt 
has  been  irrigated  for  thousands  of  years.  It  is 
still  being  irrigated,  and  there  is  no  record  of  any 
increase  in  the  rainfall  in  all  that  long  stretch  of 
time.  It  is  not  probable  that  Nature  has  a  dif- 
ferent law  in  the  semi-arid  region  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  But  the  fact  that  the  farmer  in  this 
region  should  get  firmly  fixed  ill  his  brain,  is  that 
when  rain  falls  upon  the  unbroken  ground  it  is 
but  little  absorbed  and  quickly  flows  away  into 
the  adjoining  streams.  But  when  broken,  the 
same  ground  will  more  readily  absorb  the  rain 
that  does  fall,  and  the  deeper  it  is  plowed,  and 
the  more  thoroughly  it  is  worked  into  a  fine  tilth, 
the  more  moisture  it  will  absorb  and  the  less  of  it 
will  evaporate  after  it  is  absorbed.  This  con- 
servation of  the  moisture  that  does  come  to  the 
surface  of  the  earth,  whether  it  be  by  rain  or 
snow,  is  infinitely  better  for  the  prosperity  of  the 
farmer  than  a  vague  hope  and  a  vain  thinking 
that  there  will  be  any  increase  in  the  rainfall.  No 
one  in  the  spring  of  1870  could  have  reasonably 
predicted  the  great  growth  in  farming  in  Colo- 
rado that  came  to  it  as  the  years  passed  by.  It 
is  wiser  to  look  at  the  facts  as  they  exist,  than 
to  risk  a  false  judgment  of  what  the  future  may 
bring,  but  at  least  there  is  no  risk  in  saying  that 


RANCH      LIFE      IN     COLORADO          87 

Colorado  is  still  growing,  notwithstanding  there 
may  be  a  decline  in  the  production  of  its  mines, 
and  that  by  a  proper  conservation  from  the  great 
water-shed  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  within  her 
borders,  farming  and  all  the  business  that  de- 
pends upon  that  industry  will  continue  to  grow  in 
the  future  in  more  wonderful  proportions  than  it 
has  grown  in  the  past. 

The  great  region  west  of  the  Missouri  river 
will  yet  be  covered  by  a  gigantic  irrigating  canal 
taken  from  the  head  waters  of  that  stream,  and 
into  that  canal  will  flow  all  the  waste  waters  of 
the  streams  between  that  and  the  foot  of  the 
mountains.  When  this  shall  be  accomplished,  and 
it  is  feasible,  no  man  can  now  tell  what  the  great 
results  to  the  country  will  be. 


HISTORIC    PUEBLO 


City  building  is  a  chapter  in  sociology  of  great 
interest  to  the  philosopher.  But  the  reason  for 
the  founding  of  a  city,  supposing  any  strict  reason 
for  it,  would  be  very  instructive.  Men  do  not  al- 
ways build  cities  on  the  sites  first  selected.  In 
other  words  nature,  not  man,  determines  finally 
where  they  shall  be  built.  The  selection  of  sites 
is  governed  by  the  concentrated  requirements  of 
commercial  evolution  such  as  the  soil;  the  con- 
tiguity of  wood,  or  coal,  or  iron;  hygienic  envir- 
onment ;  and  convenience  of  transportation,  natur- 
al or  artificial.  Should  man  be  so  foolish  as  to 
violate  these  natural  requirements  he  would  suffer 
the  penalty  by  failure. 

For  instance,  if  those  who,  by  their  early  set- 
tlement here,  unconsciously  selected  Pueblo  for 
the  site  of  a  city  had  been  governed  by  estheticism 
and  not  by  so-called  requirements  of  physical 
necessities,  it  certainly  would  have  been  located 
away  from  the  irregular  bluffs  and  arroyas  con- 
tiguous to  the  river.  As  it  is,  the  city  has  grown 
over  and  around  these,  and  in  time,  when  the 
hard  necessity  of  daily  toil  shall  bring  wealth  and 


HISTORIC      PUEBLO  89 

refinement  to  its  citizens,  the  unsightly  places  can 
be  made  beautiful  by  the  hand  of  man.  The  orig- 
inal pioneer  inhabitants  gave  no  thought  to  the 
mere  beauty  or  ugliness  of  sites.  A  running 
stream,  a  spring  of  water,  plenty  of  surrounding 
grass  and  timber,  where,  of  course,  would  be  also 
deer,  or  antelope,  or  buffalo  for  food,  were  the 
compelling,  and  to  the  pioneer  the  most  beautiful, 
conditions.  The  pioneer  had  neither  the  leisure 
nor  the  ability  to  admire  that  which  was  not  use- 
ful to  him.  The  miner,  for  instance,  was  not 
usually  an  educated  man  of  leisure  and  refine- 
ment, other  than  in  the  heart  qualities  of  hospital- 
ities and  sympathy.  But  the  location  of  placer 
gold  in  paying  quantities,  was  always  a  beauti- 
ful spot  to  him,  whatever  the  surroundings 
might  be. 

The  pioneer  was  his  own  farmer,  baker,  cook, 
tailor,  butcher,  nor  had  he  any  telephone  by  which 
he  could  order  his  dinner  at  the  hotel  miles  away 
and  whirl  himself  there  in  an  automobile.  The 
pioneer  life,  however,  was  a  necessary  step  in  the 
evolution  of  cities  from  mere  sites  of  cities.  It 
necessarily  preceded,  and  was  the  essential  fore- 
runner of  the  very  much  more  desirable  advance 
which  the  present  generation  is  making.  Those 
who  braved  the  native  Indian  tribes  lived  in  a 
primitive  age  and  performed  well  the  require- 
ments of  it,  were  happy  and  contented,  and  are 
entitled  to  our  everlasting  gratitude.  Those  of 


90  RANCH     LIFE 

them  who  came  into  the  Arkansas  valley  rescued 
it  from  a  savage  race,  who  did  not  occupy  a  thou- 
sandth part  of  it,  who  did  not  make  any  use  of  its 
endless  resources;  who  would  neither  till  the  soil, 
nor  extract  the  coal,  and  metals,  from  the  moun- 
tains, nor  allow  any  one  else  to  do  so ;  who  did  not 
welcome  immigration;  but  repelled  it  with  mur- 
derous savagery.  The  refined,  the  fastidious,  the 
dilettante,  could  not  penetrate  the  unknown 
desert  and  perform  the  rough  work  of  a  pioneer. 
The  pioneer  had  no  thought  of  city  building.  That 
was  done  by  those  who  came  after  him.  Yet  the 
pioneers  made  settlements  on  the  sites  where  cities 
had  to  be  built.  Unconsciously,  by  following  the 
natural  requirements  of  human  needs,  they  chose 
the  sites  of  cities. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  determine  just  when, 
and  in  whose  brain,  the  definite  idea  of  a  city  at 
Pueblo  first  originated;  certainly  it  was  not  prior 
to  the  advent  of  a  railway  and  smelters,  after  the 
discovery  of  carbonates  at  Leadville.  Those  who 
now  live  here  and  study  the  situation,  seeing  how 
wise  the  first  settlers  were  in  selecting  this  loca- 
tion, on  account  of  the  water,  soil,  climate,  and 
facilities  of  transportation,  all  think  that  our  city, 
having  its  foundation  laid  in  the  adaptability  of 
the  natural  conditions,  will  continue  to  grow  to 
much  larger  dimensions;  and  the  present  in- 
habitants are  the  real  city  builders  upon  the  site 
our  forerunners  selected.  New  York,  Philadelphia 


HISTORIC      PUEBLO  91 

and  Boston  were  natural  seaports,  and  grew  upon 
the  ground  first  occupied  by  the  earliest  immi- 
grants. Cincinnati  and  Chicago  did  not  grow 
upon  the  actual  locations  first  selected  for  them, 
but  like  a  water  turtle,  immediately  turned  to- 
ward the  streams,  and  then  grew  like  a  willow 
tree,  when  placed  where  the  water  reaches  its 
roots.  Chicago  flourished  best  in  the  swamp  adja- 
cent to  the  Chicago  river,  a  natural  harbor,  and 
compelled  its  citizens,  willy-nilly,  to  expend  mil- 
lions of  dollars  in  lifting  the  city  above  the  swamp 
and  bringing  the  adjacent  high  ground  where  the 
city  failed  to  grow,  to  the  place  where  it  would 
grow.  The  mountain  thus  literally  came  to  Ma- 
homet. The  lakes,  of  course,  are  the  determining 
factor  in  locating  the  cities  of  Chicago,  Milwau- 
kee, Detroit,  Cleveland,  Buffalo  and  Toledo,  and 
numerous  other  lesser  cities.  But  second  to  the 
lakes  as  promoters  of  city  building  in  localities 
adjacent  to  an  ocean  or  lake,  are  the  mouths  of 
rivers  which  furnish  good  harbors  for  transporta- 
tion, also  the  banks  of  any  navigable  stream. 
After  railroads  expanded  into  great  lines  of  com- 
mercial traffic,  it  was  possible  to  build  cities  away 
from  oceans,  lakes  and  navigable  rivers,  such  as 
Indianapolis,  Indiana;  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  At- 
lanta, Georgia.  Lexington,  Kentucky,  is  an  older 
city  than  Cincinnati,  or  Louisville,  but  it  was  not 
on  the  Ohio  river  and  did  not  develop  into  a  large 
city. 


92  RANCHLIFE 

Another  curious  fact  in  the  location  of  cities 
in  the  United  States  is  that  generally  they  are  lo- 
cated on  the  west  sides  of  streams  running  north 
or  south  or  bodies  of  water.  The  tide  of  emigra- 
tion toward  the  west  seems  to  be  the  factor  in  this 
tendency.  The  growth  is  toward  the  west.  St. 
Louis,  Kansas  City  and  Omaha,  are  samples  of 
this  tendency  in  the  newer  west,  as  well  as  Chi- 
cago, Milwaukee  and  Cincinnati  in  the  middle 
west.  The  great  region  west  of  the  Missouri 
river  did  not  grow  into  importance  until  the 
through  lines  of  railroad  were  built.  Its  streams 
were  largely  unnavigable.  But  they  furnished  the 
water  level  for  the  railroad  grades  and  along  these 
the  pioneer  settlements  had  already  necessarily 
been  established.  The  pioneer  was  compelled  to 
locate  near  water  and  such  locations  also  con- 
tained timber  and  the  best  grazing ;  these  features 
indicated  the  most  fertile  land. 

By  reason  of  these  natural  features  the  early 
pioneers  found  the  region  of  the  confluence  of  the 
Fountain  and  Arkansas  rivers  a  good  site  for  a 
city  surrounded  by  wide  bottoms,  good  timber, 
plenty  of  grazing  and  near  the  mountains  where 
afterwards  mining  became  very  profitable ;  whose 
barriers  stopped  for  a  time  further  westward 
treking  and  where  game  was  plenty.  It  was  not 
only  in  the  line  of  travel  from  the  east,  but  in 
that  from  the  north  and  south,  being  on  the  first 
level  land  east  of  the  rough  mountain  region  to 


HISTORIC      PUEBLO  93 

the  west.  The  Arkansas  valley  from  the  begin- 
ning remained  a  great  highway  for  travel  from 
St.  Louis,  Independence  and  Westport,  Missouri, 
toward  the  Pacific  coast  or  into  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains. Some  trappers  of  the  American  Fur  Com- 
pany, established  by  the  elder  John  Jacob  Astor, 
operated  in  this  region  and  made  Pueblo  their 
winter  quarters.  Here  came  the  buyers  of  furs, 
all  for  the  American  Fur  Company,  to  meet  the 
trappers  and  trade  or  purchase  their  collections. 
In  1840  the  location  was  considered  of  so  much 
importance  that  at  least  not  later  than  1842,  a  fort 
was  built  for  the  better  protection  of  the  perma- 
nent residents,  and  of  the  trappers  and  sojourn- 
ers,  against  the  Arapahoes,  Cheyennes  and  Kio- 
was,  who  were  troublesome.  The  first  white  child 
was  born  here  August  17th,  1846.  Her  maiden 
name  was  Sarah  Kirchner.  Now  her  married 
name  is  Sarah  Miller.  There  certainly  was  not 
another  location  at  that  time  within  the  present 
boundaries  of  Colorado  with  so  large  a  population 
of  white  people.  It  is  true,  that  most  of  these 
were  only  temporary  citizens,  who  remained  only 
a  few  months,  that  is,  through  one  winter.  But, 
they  lingered  as  long  as  they  did  because  it  was  a 
desirable  location  in  which  to  reside,  and  conse- 
quently a  good  location  for  a  city.  They  found 
the  winter  mild,  grazing  good,  and  game  plenty. 
It  was  easy  to  raise  crops  in  the  rich  soil  of  the 
bottoms,  which  could  be  irrigated  from  cheaply 


94  RANCH      LIFE 

constructed  ditches,  taking  water  from  the  Arkan- 
sas river.  John  Hunt,  then  13  years  old,  was  here 
in  1846.  He  attended  the  18th  Irrigation  Con- 
gress from  Arizona,  which  met  at  Pueblo  in  1910. 
The  special  party  which  wintered  at  Pueblo 
in  1846-7  were  induced  to  come  to  this  point, 
because  assured  they  could  here  get  supplies.  It 
seems,  however,  that  the  supplies,  other  than  the 
plentiful  game,  consisted  of  corn  and  cornmeal. 
These  they  did  not  obtain  at  Pueblo,  but  from  the 
Hardscrabble  and  the  region  west  of  Pueblo,  there 
being  some  farmers  on  the  Hardscrabble  creek 
and  a  rude  corn  mill  in  that  region.  Why  were 
these  people  at  that  particular  place,  and  where 
did  they  come  from?  Their  presence  there  can 
be  accounted  for  as  follows:  about  1822,  Colonel 
Wm.  Bent  made  a  rude  fort  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Hardscrabble,  and  established  there  his  trading 
post.  Under  the  protection  of  that  fort,  and  the 
facility  of  obtaining  supplies  from  Bent's  store, 
undoubtedly  those  trappers  of  furs  who  had 
drifted  up  the  Arkansas  river,  or  who  had  come 
from  Santa  Fe,  or  Taos,  in  the  south,  settled  on 
the  Hardscrabble,  or  on  the  Arkansas  river  as  far 
up  as  where  Canon  City  now  stands.  They  could 
get  no  further  west  without  climbing  the  moun- 
tains. For  some  reason,  Bent  moved  later  from 
the  Hardscrabble  to  where  Las  Animas  town  is 
now  located  on  the  Arkansas  river.  The  probable 
reason  is  that  he  found  the  Hardscrabble  too  far 


HISTORIC     PUEBLO  95 

west  to  catch  any  travel  from  either  the  north 
or  south.  The  north  and  south  trail  parallel  with 
the  mountains  ran  up  the  Plum  or  Cherry  creek 
from  the  South  Platte,  and  down  the  Fountain 
to  the  Arkansas.  From  the  Arkansas  it  would 
naturally  follow  either  the  Huerfano,  St.  Charles, 
or  Purgatoire.  So  that  the  mouth  of  the  Foun- 
tain, or  of  the  Purgatoire,  and  not  the  Hardscrab- 
ble  offered  the  best  points  to  catch  the  travel 
coming  from  the  north,  east  and  south.  Bent 
chose  the  mouth  of  the  Purgatoire;  and  after- 
wards, the  old  Santa  Fe  trail,  which  was  first 
traveled  in  1824,  branched  off  from  the  Arkansas 
river  and  followed  south  up  that  stream.  But 
also  many  travelers  kept  on  up  the  Arkansas  to 
Pueblo,  and  then  turned  south.  It  turned  out  that 
Bent's  fort  near  Las  Animas  did  not  become  the 
nucleus  of  a  city,  but  that  the  mouth  of  the  Foun- 
tain, where  in  1840  a  small  fort  was  built,  did 
become  such  nucleus.  This  occurred  because  na- 
ture had  provided  a  natural  line  of  communica- 
tion between  the  Platte  and  Arkansas  rivers,  by 
the  water  levels  of  the  streams  mentioned,  upon 
which  the  trails,  wagon  roads,  and  railways  in 
succession  were  forced  to  be  made,  whether  man 
so  desired  it  or  not.  The  Hardscrabble  was  too 
far  west,  and  the  Purgatoire,  or  Las  Animas  river 
too  far  east  to  catch  the  tide  of  travel  which 
eventually  set  in  along  this  natural  trail  from 
north  to  south  along  the  eastern  foot  of  the  Rocky 


96  RANCHL1FE 

Mountains.  Now,  since  the  Grand  Canon  of  the 
Arkansas  fifty  miles  west  of  Pueblo,  gave  a  low 
grade  for  a  railway  through  the  Rocky  Mountains 
toward  the  Pacific  Ocean,  Pueblo  has  the  advant- 
age of  being  a  railroad  center  of  through  lines 
from  east,  west,  north  and  south.  No  other  point 
on  the  Arkansas  river  nor  any  other  point  in  Colo- 
rado could  give  this  combination  of  fortunate  ad- 
vantages. 

There  is  little  recorded  history  of  Pueblo  be- 
tween 1846  and  1854,  the  date  of  the  massacre  in 
the  fort ;  nor  from  that  year  until  1858. 

In  1858  gold  was  discovered  in  the  sands  of 
Cherry  creek  near  where  Denver  now  stands,  and 
the  Pike's  Peak  immigration  began  from  the  east- 
ern states.  Several  parties  of  immigrants  came 
through  Pueblo  by  the  way  of  the  Arkansas  river, 
notably  that  led  by  Green  Russell.  In  this  party 
was  the  late  Judge  L.  B.  Gibson  and  Mr.  John  D. 
Miller,  Otto  Wineke,  Mr.  Josiah  Smith,  and 
Charles  D.  Peck  came  that  year.  During  the  next 
year,  or  two,  they  were  joined  by  S.  S.  Smith, 
W.  H.  Young,  Matthew  Steele,  0.  H.  P.  Baxter, 
G.  M.  Chilcot,  G.  A.  Hinsdale,  Mark  G.  Bradford, 
Colonel  Francisco  and  others. 
^  A  new  settlement  was  made  near  where  the 
/Walter's  Brewery  is  now  located,  and  called  Foun- 
tain City.  But  that  did  not  grow.  In  1860  or 
1861  the  region  now  known  as  lower  Santa  Fe 
Avenue,  north  of  the  river,  was  chosen  by  a  num- 


HISTORIC      PUEBLO  97 

ber  of  the  settlers  as  the  proper  place  to  build 
houses,  and  from  the  feeble  start  then  made  the 
present  city  of  Pueblo  has  developed.  The  Arkan- 
sas river  then  ran  close  to  First  Street  where  it 
crosses  Santa  Fe  Avenue.  It  is  stated  that  one 
Jack  Wright  built  the  first  house  at  the  foot  of 
Santa  Fe  Avenue.  Colonel  A.  G.  Boone,  a  nephew 
of  the  famous  Daniel  Boone,  opened  a  store ;  and 
Emory  Young  was  the  first  child  born  in  the  new 
location.  But  he  came  14  years  later  than  the  real 
first  white  baby  in  1846.  The  name  given  to 
Pueblo  in  1840  has  clung  to  it  ever  since,  because 
it  was  appropriate,  meaning  a  village. 

The  town,  governed  by  trustees,  was  organ- 
ized in  the  winter  of  1859-60,  but  not  incorpor- 
ated until  1870.  The  county  was  founded  in  1862, 
and  then  included  all  the  territory  now  contained 
in  the  counties  of  Pueblo,  Bent,  Otero,  Prowers, 
Huerfano  and  Las  Animas,  with  0.  H.  P.  Baxter, 
R.  L.  Wooten  and  William  Chapman  as  County 
Commissioners,  and  Stephen  S.  Smith  as  County 
Clerk.  Judge  Allen  A.  Bradford  was  the  District 
Judge.  Mr.  Smith  is  still  a  citizen  of  Pueblo.  Judge 
A.  A.  Bradford  was  afterward  one  of  the  Supreme 
Judges  of  the  Territory,  and  was  twice  elected 
delegate  from  the  Territory  to  Congress.  Pueblo 
is  indebted  to  him  for  the  acquisition  by  the  coun- 
ty, of  the  tract  of  land  known  as  the  County  Ad- 
dition on  which  the  present  Court  House  is  lo- 
cated. 


98  RANCH      LIFE 

The  United  States  recorded  census  of  1870 
shows  that  Pueblo  had  a  population  of  six  hun- 
dred and  sixty-six.  It  has  made  continuous  growth 
since  that  time.  In  1880  it  was  about  six  thou- 
sand in  the  two  towns  of  Pueblo  and  South  Pueblo. 
In  1890,  twenty-four  thousand  five  hundred  and 
fifty-four  in  the  consolidated  city ;  in  1900,  twenty- 
eight  thousand  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven;  and 
in  1910,  forty-four  thousand  three  hundred  and 
ninety-five.  In  1870  the  population  of  Colorado 
was  less  than  forty  thousand,  and  of  the  County  of 
Pueblo  two  thousand  two  hundred  and  sixty-five. 

The  Rio  Grande  Railway  came  in  1872;  and 
the  first  depot  was  located  about  where  the  rail- 
road section  house  now  stands  at  the  Mineral  Pal- 
ace Park  grounds.  Prior  to  that  date  the  passen- 
ger traffic  was  done  by  one  stage  coach  daily  from 
Denver,  as  before  mentioned. 

The  first  regular  court  in  Pueblo  was  held  by 
Judge  Allen  A.  Bradford.  A  historical  writer  of 
Pueblo  County  made  this  statement  in  1881: 
"Court  was  held  in  an  adobe  building  on  Santa  Fe 
Avenue,  near  Third  Street,  until  1872,  when  the 
present  handsome  structure,  the  finest  court  house 
in  the  state,  was  erected."  The  writer  is  not  now 
living,  and  of  course,  would  be  astonished,  if  still 
living,  to  see  the  fine  Court  House  now  standing 
upon  the  site  of  the  one  he  so  praised. 

The  first  hotel  was  kept  by  Aaron  Simms,  fol- 
lowed soon  after  by  another  kept  by  John  B.  Rice. 


HISTORIC      PUEBLO  99 

These  hotels  were  not  very  large  and  palatial,  nor 
did  they  furnish  Delmonico  meals. 

The  first  postmaster  was  Stephen  S.  Smith, 
followed  by  Aaron  Simms.  In  1862  the  United 
States  mail  came  from  Denver  alone  and  the  serv- 
ice once  a  week.  Afterwards  a  stage  line  was  es- 
tablished, first  by  A.  Jacobs,  who  was  succeeded 
by  Barlow  and  Sanderson,  who  ran  the  line  until 
the  D.  &  R.  G.  Railway  came  in  1872. 

Mr.  J.  A.  Thatcher  came  in  1862,  as  a  mer- 
chant in  a  small  way. 

About  1863  the  first  school  house — a  small 
frame  on  the  west  side  of  Santa  Fe  Avenue,  be- 
tween Fourth  and  Fifth  Streets  was  built  by 
private  subscription,  Miss  Weston  being  the  school 
teacher — a  small  forerunner  of  the  present  large 
system.  The  first  regular  religious  services  were 
held  in  this  school  house  in  1864. 

Dr.  M.  Beshoar,  a  late  citizen  of  Trinidad, 
founded  the  Chieftain  as  a  weekly  newspaper  in 
1868.  Samuel  McBride  was  the  mechanicalhead, 
and  George  A.  Hinsdale  and  Wilbur  F.  Stone,  the 
editors.  It  was  printed  on  the  spot  where  the 
present  Chieftain  office  stands. 

St.  Peter's  Church,  still  standing  on  the  corner 
of  Seventh  Street  and  Santa  Fe  Avenue,  was 
erected  in  1868,  being  the  first  building  used  ex- 
clusively for  church  purposes.  It  was  considered 
at  that  time  to  be  out  of  town,  only  two  buildings 
being  north  of  it. 


100  RANCH     LIFE 

In  1870  the  six  hundred  and  sixty-six  inhabi- 
tants all  dwelt  on  the  nort  hside  of  the  river; 
Mr.  Klaas  Wildeboor  lived  on  the  south  side, 
where  his  present  house  is  located.  William 
H.  Young  had  a  private  bridge  across  the 
Arkansas  river  near  the  present  D.  &  R.  G. 
Railway  bridge.  Baxter's  grist  mill  stood  on 
the  site  of  the  present  beautiful  public  build- 
ing. Thatcher  Brothers  had  a  general  store  on 
the  southeast  corner  of  Fourth  and  Santa  Fe  in 
an  adobe  building.  They  also  did  a  banking  busi- 
ness, and  in  1871  founded  the  First  National 
Bank.  Only  two  brick  dwellings  existed  in  the 
town,  but  the  jail  was  made  of  brick  of  so  pale 
a  color  that  the  building  had  the  appearance  of 
an  adobe.  They  were  the  first  bricks  made  here. 
An  adobe  school  building  just  erected  stood  on 
the  ground  now  occupied  by  the  Centennial  School. 

George  M.  Chilcott  and  Wilbur  F.  Stone  lived 
in  adobe  houses  on  the  opposite  corners  of  Sixth 
and  Santa  Fe,  where  they  still  stand. 

The  National  Hotel  was  located  at  405  North 
Santa  Fe  Avenue.  The  name  was  the  biggest  part 
of  it.  Its  former  proprietor,  a  Mr.  Cook,  had  died 
in  1870.  Next  to  it  on  the  corner  of  Fourth  and 
Santa  Fe  was  an  adobe  one-story  building  used 
by  a  Mr.  Scidmore  as  an  agricultural  implement 
^tore. 

The  only  brick  building  on  Santa  Fe  Avenue, 
the  dwelling,  No.  806,  still  standing  with  its  gable 


HISTORIC      PUEBLO  101 

to  the  street,  had  just  been  built  by  Lewis  Conley, 
a  very  enterprising  contractor.  Weldon  Keeling 
lived  in  a  one-story  frame  corner  of  Tenth  and 
Santa  Fe;  the  next  house  south  then  occupied  by 
C.  J.  Hart  as  a  dwelling,  is  still  standing;  the  next 
John  A.  Thatcher's  residence  corner  of  Ninth. 
Cooper  Brothers  occupied  as  a  tin  shop  the  frame 
building  still  standing  at  513  Santa  Fe  Avenue. 
Henkel  &  Thomas  had  a  bakery  on  the  east  side 
of  Santa  Fe  south  of  Sixth  Street.  The  El  Pro- 
gresso  building  belonging  to  George  Hall  stood  on 
the  southwest  corner  of  Third  and  Santa  Fe  Ave- 
nue and  his  dwelling  was  opposite  where  the  Hob- 
son  Block  now  stands.  Guilford  Court  House 
Budd,  a  black  man,  lived  on  the  side  of  the  bluff 
south  of  George  Hall;  he  was  the  barber.  The 
Post  Office  was  just  south  of  Fourth  Street  in  a 
frame  building,  J.  W.  0.  Snyder,  the  postmaster. 
The  Drovers  Hotel,  kept  by  Harry  E.  A.  Pickard, 
faced  on  Santa  Fe  Avenue  between  Second  and 
Third  and  next  door  lived  Com.  Wetmore.  0.  H.  P. 
Baxter's  mill  and  residence  stood  on  Main  on  op- 
posite corners  of  Fifth  Street.  The  ditch  furnish- 
ing the  water  power  to  the  mill  ran  through  the 
mill  and  crossed  Main  Street  at  the  alley  beween 
the  Central  Block  and  the  McCarthy  building  just 
south  of  Frank  Pryor's  store.  There  was  nothing 
south  of  the  mill  ditch  except  a  heavy  growth  of 
willows,  and  nothing  south  of  the  river  except  one 
log  house  in  the  Grove  near  where  Clark's  well 


102  RANCH      LIFE 

and  hotel  are  now  located.  The  river,  which  now 
runs  straight,  then  ran  very  crooked,  with  a  sharp 
bend  to  the  north. 

South  Pueblo  did  not  exist  until  1872,  after 
the  D.  &  R.  G.  Railroad  was  built.  Then  a  road 
was  opened  now  called  Union  Avenue  and  a  wood- 
en bridge  erected  over  the  river.  Lower  Santa 
Fe  Avenue,  lower  Main,  Union  Avenue  and  the 
streets  west  and  south  of  Fourth  and  Main  have 
all  been  filled  for  several  feet,  thus  greatly  chang- 
ing the  grade  of  the  streets  and  altering  the  aspect 
of  that  part  of  the  city.  The  present  city  has 
obliterated  the  contour  and  topographic  features 
of  the  old  town  of  1870.  The  filling  up  of  the  mill 
ditch,  the  changing  the  river  channel,  the  opening 
of  extensions  of  the  old  streets,  cutting  down  some 
and  filling  the  low  stretches  of  streets  with  six  or 
eight  feet  of  dirt,  the  building  of  numerous 
bridges  across  both  the  Arkansas  and  the  Foun- 
tain, but  more  especially  the  building  of  dwellings, 
business  blocks  and  other  edifices  necessary  for  a 
population  of  fifty  thousand,  in  place  of  six  hun- 
dred and  sixty-six,  have  so  metamorphosed  the  old 
town  of  1870,  that  even  those  who  resided  here 
then  cannot  with  the  most  vivid  imagination  re- 
call, except  in  faintest  memory,  what  the  appear- 
ance of  the  Pueblo  of  1870  really  was. 

George  A.  Hinsdale  lived  near  the  corner  of 
Fourth  and  Main  in  a  one-story  adobe.  He  died 
in  January,  1874.  He  was  a  lawyer,  a  man  of 


HISTORIC      PUEBLO  103 

intellect,  and  a  prominent  citizen.  His  memory  is 
honored,  by  the  state  in  giving  his  name  to  Hins- 
dale  County,  and  locally  in  Pueblo  by  naming 
after  him  the  Hinsdale  public  school.  There  was 
little  on  Main  Street  in  his  day.  Could  he  see  it 
now,  especially  the  corner  of  Fourth  and  Main,  he 
could  not  possibly  recognize  it.  Absolutely  noth- 
ing remains  in  that  region  which  was  there  at  the 
time  of  his  death.  Could  he  revisit  the  place  in 
1914  he  would  see  the  same  natural  features  of 
mountains,  plains  and  sky,  but  scarcely  a  human 
face  that  he  would  recognize  and  not  a  single 
building  on  Main  Street  with  which  he  was  famil- 
iar in  1874. 

Men  and  the  handiwork  of  men  change  abso- 
lutely in  a  few  years  in  this  great  growing  west, 
but  nature  changes  so  slowly  and  uniformly  that 
could  Lieutenant  Zebulon  Pike  in  a  hundred  years 
from  now  revisit  the  location  of  his  camp  on  this 
spot  in  1806,  he  would  see  the  same  "great  white 
peak"  named  after  him,  and  if  he  calculated  at 
that  time  the  latitude,  the  longitude  and  the  eleva- 
tion, he  would  find  that  these  were  the  same  as 
they  were  in  1806.  But  he  would  raise  his  hands 
and  brows  in  utter  bewilderment  at  beholding  the 
great  changes  made  by  the  hand  of  man.  It  is 
thus  apparent  that  nature  has  no  time,  as  it  is 
conceived  by  man  and  that  what  man  calls  time  is 
simply  his  consciousness  of  changes  in  phenom- 
ena. If  there  were  no  changes  recognizable  by 


104  RANCH      LIFE 

us  in  such  phenomena  as  the  rotation  of  the  earth 
on  its  axis,  its  annual  revolution  in  its  orbit,  the 
birth,  growth  and  death  of  organisms,  the  speedy 
decay  of  all  that  is  made  by  the  brains  and  hands 
of  man,  we  should  not  be  conscious  of  that  pe- 
culiar conception  we  call  "Time."  Therefore,  liv- 
ing, forty  years  in  Pueblo  County  means  the  un- 
changing aspect  of  natural  earth  and  skies,  but 
the  rapid  and  very  noticeable  changes  constantly 
occurring  in  the  puny  works  of  man. 

Allan  A.  Bradford  was  a  delegate  to  Con- 
gress in  1870.  He,  Henry  C.  Thatcher,  Wilbur  F. 
Stone,  George  A.  Hinsdale,  George  M.  Chilcott, 
George  Q.  Richmond  and  James  McDonald  were 
the  lawyers.  None  of  these  are  now  living  in 
Pueblo.  All  are  dead  except  Wilbur  F.  Stone  and 
George  Q.  Richmond.  Henry  C.  Thatcher  after- 
wards became  Chief  Justice,  and  Wilbur  F.  Stone 
an  Associate  Justice  of  the  State  Supreme  Court. 
George  Q.  Richmond  became  a  member  of  the 
Court  of  Appeals.  George  M.  Chilcott  was  twice 
a  delegate  to  Congress,  and  very  efficient  in  pro- 
curing federal  legislation  beneficial  to  this  terri- 
tory. When  in  1882  Senator  H.  M.  Teller  was  ap- 
pointed in  President  Arthur's  Cabinet  as  Secre- 
tary of  the  Interior,  Mr.  Chilcott  was  appointed 
by  Governor  F.  W.  Pitkin  to  fill  Mr.  Teller's  unex- 
pired  term  in  the  United  States  Senate.  He  took 
his  seat  April  17th,  1882. 

"The  United  States  Land  Office  in  Pueblo  was 


HISTORIC      PUEBLO  105 

opened  in  1871,  and  sold  80,719  acres  of  govern- 
ment land  that  year."  The  development  in  1871 
was  quite  large,  being  only  the  effect  of  the  pros- 
pect of  the  coming  of  the  D.  &  R.  G.  Railway 
which  did  not  reach  the  city  until  June,  1872.  The 
entire  business  of  this  town  at  that  date,  was 
transacted  on  Santa  Fe  Avenue  from  First  to 
Sixth  Streets.  General  Samuel  Brown  of  Denver, 
said  that  when  he  was  United  States  District  At- 
torney, prior  to  1870,  whenever  he  came  to  Pueblo, 
he  always  occupied  the  best  room  in  the  hotel, 
which  was  the  hay-mow.  It  was  very  comforta- 
bly furnished  when  the  guest  brought  his  own 
blankets. 

The  Southern  Ute  Indians  passed  through 
once  a  year,  and  always  camped  near  town  for  a 
few  days.  Their  picturesque  appearance  lent  color 
and  quaintness  to  the  streets.  Their  big  chiefs 
always  rode ;  and  in  going  from  one  store  to  an- 
other would  always  mount  their  ponies,  even  if 
the  distance  was  only  a  half  block,  carrying  the 
ends  of  the  lariats  across  the  sidewalks  into  the 
stores,  the  cayuse  ponies  being  tied  to  the  other 
ends  in  the  street.  These  Indians  spoke  Spanish 
and  a  little  English;  but  used  few  words.  Signs 
and  gesticulations  make  up  the  larger  part  of  the 
real  Indian  language.  One  day  an  Indian  was 
trying  to  buy  some  coffee.  He  laid  down  a  ten- 
cent  piece  on  the  counter  saying,  "coffee,  ten  cent, 
swap."  The  grocer  weighed  out  the  coffee  but 


106  RANCHLIFE 

while  it  yet  lay  in  the  scale  the  quantity  not  satis- 
fying the  ideas  of  the  Indian,  he  picked  up  the 
coin,  merely  saying  "no  swap"  and  walked  out. 

In  1872  the  court  house,  lately  torn  down,  was 
built.  The  coming  of  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande 
Railway  was  celebrated  in  the  new  court  house 
by  a  meeting  addressed  by  Grace  Greenwood  and 
other  speakers. 

The  first  city  government  was  formed  in  1873, 
a  mayor  and  council  taking  the  place  of  former 
town  trustees.  In  1876  the  original  Centennial 
school  house  was  built  and  in  1879  the  Insane 
Asylum  established,  with  forty  patients. 

Good  climate  has  much  to  do  with  the  growth 
of  a  city,  although  we  must  remember  that  St. 
Petersburg,  built  by  Peter  the  Great,  in  almost 
an  artic  region,  sixty  degrees  north  latitude,  is  as 
nearly  an  artificial  city  as  man  can  produce.  But 
Peter  had  the  resources  of  an  immense  empire  at 
his  control  with  which  to  work.  The  example  is 
too  costly  to  be  followed,  especially  in  a  republic 
like  ours,  where  cities  are  built,  not  by  emperors, 
but  by  poor  people  who  seek  a  milder  climate  in 
which  food  can  be  cheaply  produced. 

A  feature  of  the  fitness  of  the  locality  in  which 
Pueblo  is  situated  for  a  thriving  city,  is  found  in 
the  high  average  temperature  of  the  valley  in 
which  it  is  situated.  The  isothermal  line,  indicat- 
ing fifty-two  degrees  Farenheit  yearly  average, 
takes  in  Pueblo  and  Canon  City  by  a  sharp  loop 


HISTORIC     PUEBLO  107 

leaving  out  the  contiguous  region.  This  is  the 
highest  average  temperature  in  Colorado  on  its 
slope  east  of  the  mountains.  This  means  grass, 
vegetables  and  fruit,  earlier  than  in  other  regions. 
It  means  a  milder  winter  climate.  It  puts  a  higher 
percentage  of  sugar  in  the  beets  and  more  in- 
tensely sweetens  the  famous  cantaloupes.  The 
moisture  is  only  twelve  inches  yearly  on  the  aver- 
age. The  scant  rainfall  and  the  numerous  sun- 
shiny days  insure  the  nutrition  of  the  range 
grass  in  the  winter,  account  for  the  clear  at- 
mosphere so  delicious  to  breathe,  produce  a 
climate  unsurpassed  and  exceedingly  attractive 
for  happy  homes  and  contentment. 

Prior  to  its  acquisition  under  the  Treaty  of 
Guadeloupe  Hidalgo,  following  the  Mexican  war 
of  1847,  the  territory  south  of  the  Arkansas  river 
belonged  to  Mexico.  South  Pueblo  lies  upon  a 
part  of  the  Nolan  grant  of  48,000  acres  derived 
from  the  government  of  Old  Mexico.  The  same 
persons  who  built  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  Rail- 
way formed  a  corporation  called  "The  Colorado 
Coal  and  Iron  Company"  and  acquired  this  grant. 
It  lies  in  the  triangle  formed  by  the  Arkansas  and 
St.  Charles  rivers  and  the  Greenhorn  mountains. 
This  company  established  the  city  of  South 
Pueblo,  which  in  1886  was  consolidated  with  old 
Pueblo. 

The  real  growth  of  Pueblo  dates  from  the  ad- 
vent of  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  Railway.  The 


108  RANCH      LIFE 

coming  of  that  railway  more  than  doubled  the 
population  in  a  short  time  but  the  coming  of  the 
Santa  Fe  Railway  in  March,  1876,  did  not  produce 
that  effect.  The  building  of  the  Steel  Works  in 
1881  again  doubled  the  population  in  two  years. 

After  the  discovery  of  carbonates  at  Leadville 
and  the  extension  of  the  D.  &  R.  G.  Railway  up 
the  Arkansas  river  to  that  place,  Mather  and  Geist 
commenced  the  establishment  of  smelters.  When 
to  these  facts  are  added  the  later  discovery  of  im- 
mense beds  of  coal  near  by,  the  building  of  a  city 
of  great  importance  at  this  point  followed  as 
naturally  as  that  railways  are  constructed  along 
water  levels. 

Now,  in  the  year  1914,  with  smelters,  steel 
works,  several  railways,  wholesale  commercial 
houses,  manufacturing  in  various  lines,  thousands 
of  miles  of  irrigating  ditches  in  the  Arkansas 
valley  and  the  consequent  cultivation  of  500,000 
acres  of  irrigated  land  tributary  to  the  city,  the 
before  mentioned  pioneer  features  of  the  locality 
have  been  obliterated.  In  those  days  Arkansas 
river  water  was  selling  for  25c  a  barrel  on  the 
streets  without  either  ice  or  filtration  and  no 
thought  was  then  entertained  that  the  river  water 
was  anything  but  pure  and  healthy. 

To  have  lived  for  forty  years  in  a  community 
and  witnessed  its  growth  from  an  insignificant 
village  to  a  fair-sized  city  is  a  most  interesting 
experience.  It  would  be  still  more  interesting  to 


HISTORIC      PUEBLO  109 

one  who  has  lived  here  so  long  to  witness  the 
growth  during  the  next  four  decades.  The  founda- 
tion only  has  yet  been  laid.  The  superstructure  is 
yet  to  arise.  As  the  area  of  agricultural  land  and 
the  variety  and  quantity  of  mineral  products  shall 
grow,  so  will  the  manufacturing  industry  and  the 
population  increase  in  like  ratio.  No  pioneer  ever 
thought  that  any  more  land  could  come  under 
cultivation  than  could  be  covered  by  the  primitive 
and  rudely  constructed  ditches  taken  directly  from 
the  streams.  But  now  when  flood  water  and  sur- 
face waters  are  being  conserved  in  every  arroya 
and  the  underflow  is  being  brought  to  the  surface, 
the  probable  number  of  acres  that  may  eventu- 
ally be  cultivated  on  the  eastern  water  shed  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains  cannot  now  be  estimated.  A 
large  city  will  gradually  develop  here  parallel 
with  the  growth  of  the  country.  Larger  manufac- 
turing plants,  more  palatial  residences,  more  blue 
grass  lawns,  finer  and  more  numerous  schools 
and  churches  will  grace  the  mesas  and  bluffs ;  and, 
over  all,  the  glorious  sunshine  from  cloudless 
skies  will  continue  to  shine,  giving  more  abundant 
life  and  power  to  a  healthful,  happy  and  long  lived 
race  of  Anglo-Saxon  white  people.  This  will  not 
be  done  in  a  few  years.  The  possibilities  of  growth 
will  remain  as  long  as  the  Rocky  Mountains  rear 
their  rugged  heads  into  the  clear  blue  of  the 
empyrean.  "All  things  come  to  him  who  waits" 
is  not  a  truism  confined  to  the  individual  alone, 


110  RANCHLIFE 

but  can  well  apply  to  the  race,  especially  to  the 
white  race  which  speaks  the  English  language.  It 
is  even  now  within  the  vision  of  some  men  in 
Colorado  that  our  state  can  and  will  eventually 
support  a  population  of  four  or  five  millions. 

The  development  of  a  municipality  has  been 
likened  to  that  of  an  animal  organism  which  grows 
from  a  single  aggregation  of  cells  to  a  complex 
body.  The  comparison,  while  not  altogether  com- 
plete, yet  in  a  crude  way  is  true.  The  analogy 
is  not  perfect  because  the  special  units  which 
make  up  the  individual  organism  having  un- 
known millions  of  years  behind  them,  are  more 
cohesive  and  uniform  in  their  integration  than 
are  the  social  units  that  make  up  the  aggregate 
of  a  community,  which  has  had  only  a  few  thou- 
sand years  of  existence. 

The  very  early  Pueblo  could  well  be  compared 
to  a  young  child  crude  in  its  ways  governed  by 
no  law  except  that  of  self-preservation  and  doing 
only  those  things  which  pleased  itself.  Nearly 
all  the  early  inhabitants  were  adapted  only  to  such 
a  life.  When  more  complex  methods  became 
necessary  which  required  rigid  city  ordinances, 
police  and  fire  protection,  religious  and  moral 
supervision,  the  independent  old  pioneer  declared 
it  was  "gittin'  too  civilized"  and  moved  to  newer 
localities  better  adapted  to  his  established  habits. 
Those  who  remained  were  the  more  intellectual 
who  were  able  to  learn  the  new  ways  and  who  had 


HISTORIC      PUEBLO  111 

acquired  so  much  property,  as  to  prevent  a  change 
of  location  without  too  great  a  sacrifice.  The  con- 
stant increase  of  population  by  birth  and  the  ad- 
vent of  newcomers,  the  building  of  new  houses, 
the  construction  of  railways  and  manufactories, 
the  opening  of  new  farms  in  the  adjacent  country, 
which  gave  trade  to  the  merchants  and  furnished 
sustenance  to  the  people,  made  the  comparison 
to  the  growth  of  an  animal  organism  a  very  strik- 
ing one.  In  much  the  same  way  does  the  blood  of 
the  body  produce  the  cells  that  build  up  the  bones 
and  muscles ;  while  both  the  social  and  the  animal 
organizations  maintain  themselves  and  enlarge 
their  functions,  by  increasing  their  correspond- 
ence with  a  wider  and  more  complex  environment. 
The  lines  of  wagon  roads,  the  commercial  rail- 
ways, telephones  and  telegraphs,  which  connect  a 
city  to  other  cities  and  remote  regions,  may  well 
be  compared  with  the  nerves  of  the  body  through 
which  come  the  sensations  that  give  the  organism 
its  intelligence, — its  psychical  function.  These 
avenues  of  communication  civilize  a  city,  brighten 
its  inhabitants,  bring  better  houses,  with  more 
luxuriant  furnishings,  set  better  tables,  and  make 
schools,  churches,  and  libraries  necessities,  just  as 
the  nervous  system  in  the  body  produces  finer 
mental  qualities,  as  it  becomes  more  complex  or 
better  trained,  more  facile  in  its  correspondence 
with  the  outer  world.  To  see  for  years,  then,  the 
evolution  of  a  city,  is  similar  to  watching  the  de- 


112  RANCH      LIFE 

velopment  of  a  child  in  body  and  mind.  The  child 
passes  from  a  helpless  ignorant  condition,  to  a 
positive  dynamic,  intellectual  and  moral  force,  as 
its  body  grows  and  its  brain  expands,  by  means 
of  a  physical  and  educational  environment;  first 
in  the  family;  then  with  its  companions  in  the 
community;  in  the  common  schools;  the  higher 
schools,  and  finally  at  college,  it  is  fitted  for  the 
duties  and  responsibilities  of  complex  citizenship. 
The  whole  process  in  both  a  municipality  and  in 
an  organism  is  a  constant  readjustment  of  a  de- 
veloping organism  with  a  constantly  increasing 
complexity  of  environment,  the  latter  being  static, 
while  the  organism  is  the  mobile  factor  of  the 
adaptation.  That  is,  the  same  environment  is  al- 
ways simple  to  the  simplest  organism,  and  com- 
plex also  to  the  most  heterogenous  organism.  For 
example,  the  astronomical-mathematical  envir- 
onment finally  reached  by  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  when 
he  discovered  the  principle  of  the  attraction  of 
gravitation,  existed  just  as  statically,  that  is, 
without  change,  when  Newton  was  a  baby  in 
arms,  with  an  environment  confined  to  the  nurs- 
ery; but  he  grew  by  education  and  study,  by  suc- 
cessive steps,  until  the  special  avenues  of  his  brain 
finally  reached  the  very  complex  and  wide  en- 
vironment of  the  universe  and  its  laws.  He  was 
the  evolving,  changing  factor,  and  not  the  stars 
and  the  laws  of  their  movement.  The  latter  had 
been  complex,  as  he  found  them,  for  ages.  Es- 


HISTORIC      PUEBLO  113 

pecially  is  the  analogy  between  an  organism,  and 
a  municipality  true,  when  an  ethical  comparison 
is  made  of  the  iniquitous  customs,  which  have  a 
tendency  to  disorganize  society,  and  the  individ- 
ual habits  which  apparently  demoralize  the  citi- 
zen. The  truth  is  commonly  expressed  in  the  well 
known  aphorism  so  much  dwelt  upon  at  present, 
that  governments  and  individuals  must  be  equally 
controlled  by  the  same  homely  virtues  of  common 
honesty. 

In  the  early  days  strangers  were  few.  Every 
one  knew  or  had  a  speaking  acquaintance,  with 
every  other  one.  A  wonderful  change  has  oc- 
curred in  that  one  can  now  walk  the  streets  and 
not  recognize  a  tenth  part  of  the  people.  Such  a 
transformation  is  not  pleasant  for  the  older  peo- 
ple. They  sigh  for  "the  good  old  times,"  prior  to 
the  coming  of  the  railways.  In  their  declining 
years,  men  and  women  make  few  friends,  and  the 
dimming  eyesight  fails  to  become  familiar  with 
the  features  of  the  young,  who  pass  so  quickly, 
on  nimble  feet.  The  new  modes  of  locomotion,  by 
bicycle,  motor-cycle,  automobile,  and  soon  by  fly- 
ing machine,  are  altogether  too  swift  for  the  old 
people,  who  have  spent  the  most  of  their  lives  in 
more  deliberate  methods,  in  walking,  on  horse- 
back, or  in  horse  vehicles.  But,  in  truth,  the  newer 
ways  are  better  for  the  young,  and  more  condu- 
cive to  the  proper  evolution  of  the  growing  busi- 
ness world.  The  swifter  methods,  making  it  pos- 


114  RANCHLIFE 

sible  to  condense  the  time  necessary  to  devote  to 
business,  into  fewer  hours,  will  give  more  time  for 
mental  and  moral  training,  and  to  conserve  health, 
prolong  life,  and  increase  the  happiness  of  man- 
kind. The  added  leisure  which  should  follow  the 
newer  ways,  with  the  intellectual  habit,  must  give 
refinement  to  a  much  larger  class  of  people.  With 
the  great  increase  of  public  schools,  college  and 
university  facilities,  a  very  large  number,  who, 
under  the  old  and  slower  methods,  would  remain 
in  ignorance,  and  in  unrefined  habits  of  life,  will 
be  added  to  the  circle  of  intellectual  people.  It 
is  to  be  hoped  that  this  circle  will  enlarge  until 
it  will  finally  include  the  whole  of  our  national 
population. 


PIONEERS 


An  examination  of  the  records  of  the  Southern 
Colorado  Pioneer  Association  reveals  the  fact  that 
only  thirty  members  came  to  Colorado  as  early 
as  1860  or  before. 

The  state  was  admitted  in  1876,  the  centennial 
year  of  the  declaration  of  independence  of  the 
United  States.  It  has  made  its  principal  growth 
since  that  date.  1876  is,  therefore,  a  very  appro- 
priate year  to  mark  the  closing  of  the  pioneer 
period.  It  is  appropriate  for  another  reason.  This 
date  gives  the  Southern  Colorado  Pioneer  Associa- 
tion the  dignified  number  of  three  hundred  and 
fifty  members.  None  of  these  three  hundred  and 
fifty  members  have  now  been  in  the  state  less  than 
thirty-three  years,  and  enough  of  them  for  fifty 
years  or  more  to  give  the  classic  touch  of  ancient 
history  which  seems  so  attractive  to  the  older  in- 
habitant. 

It  may  be  interesting  as  a  historical  fact  to 
say  a  word  about  the  prestige  that  Pueblo  holds 
as  the  first  important  settlement  of  civilized  peo- 
ple in  Colorado. 

The  following  extracts  are  from  "Semi-Cen- 


116  RANCH      LIFE 

tennial  History  of  the  State  of  Colorado"  by 
Jerome  C.  Smiley. 

"A  party  of  French  traders  built  a  trading- 
post  upon  Colorado  soil  prior  to  the  year  1763 
*  *  *  *  Probability  points  to  the  locality  at  the 
mouth  of  our  Fountain  Creek,  in  the  eastern  sec- 
tion of  Pueblo,  as  the  place  where  this  pioneer 
business  establishment  was  erected.  So  far  as 
known,  this  structure  was  the  first  habitation 
built  by  white  men  in  the  land  of  Colorado;  and 
also,  so  far  as  known,  the  first  in  the  entire  region 
of  the  Rockies  north  of  the  southern  boundary  of 
our  state." 

The  above  extracts  occur  on  page  43  of  the 
history  and  are  authenticated  by  reference  to  Gen- 
eral Amos  Stoddard  who  wrote  "Sketches  of 
Louisiana."  This  officer,  then  a  captain,  had 
charge  of  the  transfer  of  the  upper  Louisiana 
Purchase  from  France  to  the  United  States  at  St. 
Louis  on  March  9,  1804,  the  treaty  of  purchase 
having  been  made  by  President  Jefferson  in  1803. 
This  fact  gives  to  the  site  of  Pueblo  a  very  much 
more  ancient  importance  than  had  been  claimed 
for  it.  It  seems,  however,  that  this  French  trad- 
ing house  did  not  remain  very  long.  It  was  seized 
by  the  Spanish  forces  because  it  was  located  on 
ground  then  claimed  to  be  Spanish  territory.  It 
is  mentioned  here  simply  to  show  that  even  far- 
ther back  in  history  than  Pike's  expedition,  the 
location  of  Pueblo  was  considered  of  such  import- 


PIONEERS  117 

ance  as  a  trading  point.  It  is  only  a  straw  to  in- 
dicate the  eminent  merits  of  the  location  as  a 
suitable  site  for  a  city.  It  is  well  known  that 
Pike  camped  here  with  twenty-two  others,  con- 
stituting the  whole  of  his  exploring  party,  in 
November,  1806.  There  was  no  other  human  be- 
ing here  at  that  time.  Between  then  and  1846 
three  different  expeditions  came  to  this  location, 
Major  Stephen  S.  Long  in  1819;  at  that  time  no 
trace  of  Pike's  block  house  of  1806  remained. 
Fowler  came  in  1822.  Fremont's  first  visit  to 
Pueblo  was  in  1843.  He  found  here  at  that  time 
a  number  of  mountaineers,  principally  Americans, 
who  did  some  farming.  He  came  again  in  1845 
and  again  in  1848,  on  his  fatal  passage  which  cost 
the  lives  of  so  many  men  and  horses,  in  the  moun- 
ains  west  of  Wagon  Wheel  Gap. 

Lieutenant  Pike  belonged  to  the  class  of  heroes 
of  whom  Christopher  Columbus,  Paul  Jones, 
Lewis,  Clark  and  Fremont  are  types.  They  form 
an  advance  guard  of  physical  progress,  intrepid, 
fearless,  unhesitating,  always  triumphant — in 
short,  natural  leaders. 

Colonel  Henry  Inman,  of  the  old  regular  army, 
author  of  "The  Old  Santa  Fe  Trail,"  writes :  "On 
the  original  trail  where  now  is  situated  the  beauti- 
ful city  of  Pueblo,  the  second  place  of  importance 
in  Colorado,  there  was  a  little  Indian  trading  post 
called  The  Pueblo,'  from  which  the  present  thriv- 
ing place  derived  its  name.  The  Atchison,  To- 


118  RANCHLIFE 

peka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad  practically  follows  the 
same  route  that  the  traders  did  to  reach  Pueblo, 
as  it  also  does  that  which  the  freight  caravans 
later  followed  from  the  Missouri  river  direct  to 
Santa  Fe.  The  old  Pueblo  fort  as  nearly  as  can 
be  determined  now  was  built  as  early  as  1840, 
or  not  later  than  1842,  and  as  one  authority  states, 
by  George  Simpson  and  his  associates,  Barclay 
and  Doyle.  James  Beckwourth  claims  to  have 
been  the  original  projector  of  the  fort  and  to 
have  given  the  general  plan  and  its  name,  in 
which  I  am  inclined  to  believe  he  is  correct.  It 
was  a  square  fort  of  adobe,  with  circular  bastions 
at  the  corners,  no  part  of  the  walls  being  more 
than  eight  feet  high."  It  was  located  a  short 
distance  south  of  the  present  depot  of  the  Atch- 
ison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railway.  The  river,  at 
the  time  it  was  built,  ran  close  to  it,  but  now  some 
distance  to  the  south  of  it.  It  was  at  this  fort  that 
the  massacre  by  the  Indians  of  seventeen  men  oc- 
curred on  Christmas  Day  of  1854.  Jacob  Beard 
in  writing  a  letter  of  late  date  upon  this  massa- 
cre makes  the  following  statements: 

"There  were  two  boys  by  the  name  of  Sando- 
val  (Juan  Isidro  and  Feliz),  sons  of  the  Senior 
Sandoval,  who  was  the  head  of  the  little  colony, 
which  had  gathered  there  for  the  purpose  of  mak- 
ing a  home — and  they  had  raised  one  crop  and  had 
gathered  it  before  the  trouble  or  massacre.  They 
had  taken  up  their  land  and  planted  their  crop, 


PIONEERS  119 

and  gathered  it ;  but  they  had  no  improvements  in 
the  way  of  buildings,  but  lived  in  the  fort. 

"About  this  time  there  was  a  report  circulated 
that  the  Utes  were  at  war,  and  they  had  been  at 
peace  for  some  time.  The  man  in  charge,  San- 
doval,  did  not  know  if  this  was  a  rumor  or  a  fact, 
but  felt  perfectly  able  to  stand  them  off  at  the 
fort  and  was  on  the  lookout ;  but  along  about  this 
time  some  of  the  party  discovered  a  man  coming 
toward  the  fort  on  horseback,  so  they  all  waited 
until  he  came  up,  knowing  that  the  one  man  alone 
could  do  no  harm ;  and  when  he  got  there  he  spoke 
to  them  friendly,  in  the  accustomed,  'how.'  San- 
doval  was  well  acquainted  with  this  Ute,  but  came 
and  says  to  him :  'We  heard  you  were  at  war — on 
the  fight.'  And  Blanco  (the  Indian)  answered: 
'Well,  it  looks  like  it,  when  I  come  here  alone  to 
the  fort.'  So,  they  asked  him  in  and  gave  him 
something  to  eat;  so  then,  after  talking  a  while, 
the  chief  asked  Sandoval  how  he  was  on  the  shot. 
As  they  had  often  shot  at  target  practice  for  lit- 
tle stakes  several  times  before,  this  was  a  very 
natural  question  to  make.  Sandoval  answered, 
"I  think  I  can  beat  you  yet.'  The  chief  answered, 
'All  right;  if  you  can,  I  have  some  nice  buck 
skins  you  can  win.'  At  that  they  all  started  out 
of  the  back  door  of  the  fort,  and  all  the  men  (San- 
doval's  men)  went  with  them  to  witness  this 
sport.  They  went  to  a  big  cottonwood  tree  and 
stuck  up  a  mark  to  shoot  at.  They  shot  two  shots 


120  RANCH      LIFE 

— one  shot  each.  (This,  as  later  was  evident,  was 
a  signal  for  two  Indians  to  appear.)  At  that,  two 
warriors  rode  up — friendly,  and  shook  hands  with 
the  party,  as  they  were  great  hands  to  shake 
hands  when  professing  to  be  friendly.  Then,  they 
fired  four  shots  more  at  the  mark,  and  then  four 
more  warriors  rode  up,  and  shook  hands  as  had 
the  other  two  who  came  previously,  and  acted  in 
the  same  friendly  manner.  And  then  the  two  con- 
testants resumed  the  shooting  at  the  mark,  when 
the  balance  of  the  Indian  party  rode  up — the 
whole  fifty  now  being  on  the  ground.  At  this 
time  they  gave  up  the  friendly  shooting  match. 
The  Indian  chief  (Blanco)  asked  Sandoval  if  he 
could  not  give  his  men  something  to  eat,  as  they 
were  hungry;  this  he  said  he  was  willing  to  do, 
and  they  all  went  into  the  fort,  where  a  meal  was 
made  ready  for  them  to  eat.  And  just  about  the 
time  they  were  finishing  their  meal  some  kind  of 
signal  from  the  chief  to  his  warriors  must  have 
been  made,  as  there  was  a  concerted  action  taken 
as  they  all  grabbed  all  the  arms  in  sight  belonging 
to  the  whites  and  began  the  killing;  and  this  con- 
tinued until  they  had  them  all  killed,  excepting 
the  two  sons  of  Sandoval,  the  head  man,  and  one 
woman.  The  boys  were  seven  and  twelve  years  old. 
The  woman  who  was  not  killed  the  Indians  took 
with  them  as  captive,  and  was  later  killed  at  a 
spring  by  them,  so  it  was  related  by  the  twelve- 
year-old  boy,  son  of  Sandoval,  after  peace  was 


PIONEERS  121 

made,  and  he  was  returned  to  his  people  or  the 
government  officials  or  officers. 

"Referring  again  to  the  killing,  will  say: 
"One  man  was  shot  through  the  cheeks,  and 
his  tongue  shot  off;  he  only  lived  a  few  days,  and 
it  was  through  him  that  it  was  learned  all  about 
Tiow  the  massacre  occurred.  Poojr  fellow — he 
couldn't  talk,  as  his  tongue  was  gone,  but  he  was 
a  good  sign  talker — he  told  the  whole  transaction 
from  beginning  to  end.  His  name  was  Romaldo, 
but  don't  know  his  last  name.  This  man,  the  only 
one  to  escape,  except  the  woman  and  the  two  boys 
taken  prisoners — and  he  only  escaped  to  live  three 
days.  In  the  massacre  at  the  fort,  it  is  likely 
that  the  woman  was  accidently  killed  when  the 
fighting  and  excitement  was  going  on." 

It  will  be  noticed  that  James  Beckwourth 
claims  to  have  given  the  name  of  Pueblo  to  the 
place  about  1840.  There  does  not  seem  to  be  an- 
other place  in  Colorado  which  can  show  a  legiti- 
mate origin  as  far  back.  It  is  evident  that  from 
that  date  to  the  present  time  it  has  remained  a 
place  of  more  or  less  importance,  containing  at  all 
times  some  American  inhabitants.  Bent's  fort 
was  established  in  the  Arkansas  valley  at  an 
earlier  date  and  remains  to  this  day  an  important 
historical  feature  of  the  very  early  settlement  of 
the  Arkansas  valley.  But  the  location  of  Bent's 
fort  was  changed  twice. 


122  RANCHLIFE 

WHAT    PARKMAN    SAW. 

Francis  Parkman,  Jr.,  and  his  relative,  Quincy 
A.  Shaw,  were  young  students  from  Boston,  who 
had  been  on  a  schoolboy  escapade  among  the  In- 
dians near  Fort  Laramie.  On  their  return  trip 
they  rode  from  Fort  Laramie  to  Pueblo  in  August, 
1846.  Parkman  published  a  book  called  "Cali- 
fornia and  Oregon  Trail,"  giving  an  account  of 
this  western  trip.  He  states  in  regard  to  Pueblo  in 
1846 :  "We  reached  the  edge  of  a  hill  from  which 
a  welcome  sight  greeted  us.  The  Arkansas  ran 
along  the  valley  below,  among  woods  and  groves, 
and  closely  nestled  in  the  midst  of  wide  cornfields 
and  green  meadows,  where  cattle  were  grazing, 
rose  the  low  mud  walls  of  the  Pueblo."  Parkman 
had  just  crossed  the  site  where  Denver  now 
stands  and  had  not  seen  a  white  man.  He  found 
here  a  number  of  white  men,  Mexicans  and  In- 
dians. A  party  of  Mormons  were  encamped  close 
by.  The  fields  were  cultivated  by  white  men,  and 
the  curious  part  of  the  story  is  that  every  year 
when  the  corn  in  the  fields  was  ripening,  several 
thousand  Arapahoe  Indians  came  and  camped 
around  Pueblo.  The  few  white  men  were  entirely 
at  their  mercy  and  proffered  them  the  use  of  the 
corn  and  the  fields.  The  Arapahoes  helped  them- 
selves and  even  turned  their  ponies  into  the  fields, 
but  were  cunning  enough  to  leave  sufficient  corn 
to  the  farmers,  to  induce  them  to  raise  a  crop  the 
succeeding  season. 


PIONEERS  123 

Parkman  pays  this  tribute  to  the  scenery  along 
the  Arkansas  river  adjacent  to  Pueblo :  "We  could 
look  down  the  little  valley  of  the  Arkansas;  a 
beautiful  scene,  and  doubly  so  to  our  eyes,  so  long 
accustomed  to  deserts  and  mountains.  Tall  woods 
lined  the  river,  with  green  meadows  on  either 
hand,  and  high  bluffs  quietly  basking  in  the  sun- 
light, flanked  the  narrow  valley."  The  Mormon 
families  mentioned  by  Parkman  had  come  to 
Pueblo  at  some  time  previous  to  August  1846.  But 
they  were  joined  during  September,  November 
and  December  of  that  year,  by  other  Mormon  fam- 
ilies. Brigham  Young,  the  head  of  the  Mormon 
colony,  desiring  to  establish  a  Mormon  settlement 
somewhere  in  the  west  applied  to  the  government 
for  military  escort  for  his  people.  This  occurred 
at  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa.  As  the  Mexican  War  was 
then  being  fought,  it  was  suggested  to  Young  that 
he  organize  a  battalion  from  his  own  members. 
The  government  would  muster  them  into  the  serv- 
ice, arm  and  equip  them  and  allow  them  at  muster- 
out  to  retain  their  arms  and  equipments.  This 
was  done  and  the  Mormon  battalion  accompanied 
by  their  particular  families  marched  in  a  south- 
west direction  toward  Santa  Fe  by  altogether  a 
different  route  from  that  taken  by  the  main  col- 
umn of  the  Mormons  to  Salt  Lake.  They  crossed 
the  Arkansas  river  somewhere  in  Kansas  east 
of  Pueblo.  "At  this  point  Captain  Higgins  with 
a  guard  of  ten  men  was  detailed  to  take  a  number 


124  RANCHLIPE 

of  families  that  accompanied  the  .battalion  to 
Pueblo,  a  Mexican  town  located  farther  up  the 
Arkansas  river,  to  winter."  This  is  the  language 
of  D.  Tyler  on  page  157  of  his  history  of  the 
Mormon  battalion.  This  was  September  16,  1846. 
These  came  to  join  those  who  had  already  pre- 
ceded them,  and  the  latter  were  those  Parkman 
and  Shaw  saw  in  August,  1846.  Another  detach- 
ment was  sent  from  the  battalion  on  its  arrival  at 
Santa  Fe,  to  Pueblo  for  the  winter.  They  ar- 
rived at  Pueblo  November  17,  and  built  eigh- 
teen rooms  fourteen  feet  square,  of  timber. 
Still  another  detachment  of  fifty-five  was  sent 
from  some  point  beyond  Santa  Fe  to  Pueblo 
to  winter.  This  detachment  arrived  at  Pueblo 
December  24,  1846.  The  combined  Mormon 
detachment  lived  in  log  cabins  and  had  plenty 
to  eat  that  winter.  The  book  says  that  the  valley 
was  well  adapted  to  winter  quarters.  "What  snow 
fell  soon  melted  and  there  was  good  grazing  for 
the  animals."  "On  the  fifteen  of  January,  1847, 
nine  wagons  loaded  with  sixty  days'  rations  for 
the  command  arrived  from  Bent's  fort."  A  part 
of  the  Pueblo  detachment  in  May,  1847,  visited  the 
soda  fountain,  now  Manitou,  but  found  no  settlers. 
On  May  24,  1847,  the  detachment  left  Pueblo  and 
marched  toward  Fort  Laramie,  on  the  Platte 
river,  California  being  their  ultimate  destination, 
but  disbanded  when  they  arrived  in  Salt  Lake. 
The  following  extracts  are  taken  from  "Brigham 


PIONEERS  125 

Young  and  His  Mormon  Empire,"  written  by 
George  L.  Knapp  and  Frank  J.  Cannon. 

On  page  136:  "A  party  of  Mormons  from 
Mississippi  had  gone  west  on  the  Santa  Fe  trail 
to  Pueblo,  where  they  passed  the  winter  along 
with  the  invalids  who  had  been  left  behind  from 
the  Mormon  battalion.  *  *  *  *  The  invalided 
members  of  the  Mormon  battalion  were  already 
marching  north  to  join  their  brethren."  This 
occurred  early  in  June,  1847. 

On  page  148:  "July  29  (1847)  Captain  James 
Brown  came  into  camp  bringing  with  him  that 
part  of  the  Mormon  battalion  which  had  been  left 
at  Pueblo,  and  the  Mississippi  Mormons  who  had 
camped  there  through  the  previous  winter.  Men, 
women  and  children,  the  newcomers  numbered 
two  hundred  and  forty  persons,  and  brought  with 
them  sixty  wagons,  a  hundred  horses  and  mules, 
and  some  three  hundred  head  of  cattle."  This  oc- 
curred after  the  arrival  of  the  colony  of  Mormons 
under  Brigham  Young  at  the  site  of  Salt  Lake 
City.  It  seems  from  the  above  record  of  the  Mor- 
mon battalion  that  it  gave  no  protection  to  rhe 
main  column  of  emigrating  Mormons  led  by  Brig- 
ham  Young.  This  column  moved  from  Council 
Bluffs  directly  west  to  Fort  Laramie  in  the  region 
now  called  Wyoming.  It  is  barely  possible  that 
the  idea  of  protection  by  this  battalion  was  not 
entertained  by  Brigham  Young. 

One  history  says  that  about  one  hundred  and 


126  RANCH      LIFE 

fifty  people  were  living  in  and  around  the  fort 
of  Pueblo  in  1847,  but  the  above  extracts  from 
Mormon  history  indicate  that  there  was  a  larger 
number.  A  writer  describes  Pueblo  in  1847 
thus:  "A  small  settlement  chiefly  composed  of 
old  trappers  and  hunters;  the  male  part  of  it 
are  mostly  Americans  (Missourians),  French  Can- 
adians and  Mexicans.  It  numbers  about  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  *  *  *  about  sixty  men 
have  wives  and  some  have  two.  The  wives  were 
of  various  Indian  tribes  as  follows,  viz.:  Black- 
feet,  Assiniboines,  Sioux,  Arapahoes,  Cheyennes, 
Snakes  and  Comanches."  It  will  thus  be  seen  that 
1846  and  1847  were  important  years  for  Pueblo. 
The  coming  of  Parkman  and  the  different  Mor- 
mon detachments  gave  the  name  and  location  a 
permanent  place  in  history. 

The  old  trappers  and  hunters  of  Pueblo  fort 
lived  entirely  upon  game,  and  a  great  part  of  the 
year  without  bread.  Pueblo  was  one  of  the  points 
where  the  trappers  sold  their  season's  catch  of 
furs  to  the  traders  who  came  there  at  certain 
dates  to  buy.  In  trapping  and  hunting  these  early 
pioneers  exceeded  the  Indians  in  skill  and  cun- 
ning. The  life  was  a  hard  one,  but  full  of  free- 
dom, which  made  it  so  attractive  to  these  simple 
children  of  nature.  Being  constantly  in  the  midst 
of  dangers  they  acquired  great  keenness  of  ob- 
servation and  skill  in  the  use  of  firearms,  and  in 
fact,  in  all  the  requirements  of  such  a  wild  life. 


PIONEERS  127 

It  is  pleasant  to  think  about  and  dwell  upon  the 
character  and  achievements  of  these  early  ex- 
plorers. They  are  the  true  leaders  of  men,  in 
the  making  of  a  western  empire  in  the  Rocky  and 
Sierra  Nevada  mountains.  To  us  they  assume  a 
historical  importance  far  superior  to  those  who, 
like  Daniel  Webster,  announced  in  the  Senate  at 
Washington,  that  this  western  country  was  an 
arid  desert  which  never  could  be  occupied  by  civi- 
lized people.  Webster,  as  far  as  is  known,  never 
came  farther  west  than  Ashland,  near  Lexington, 
Kentucky,  the  home  of  Henry  Clay.  But  Thomas 
H.  Benton,  then  a  United  States  senator  from 
Missouri,  advocated  the  resources  of  this  region 
and  favored  exploration  of  its  territory.  It  was 
he  who,  being  the  father-in-law  of  Fremont,  pro- 
cured from  the  general  government  orders  for 
Fremont's  different  expeditions. 

DEBT    TO     PIONEERS. 

The  present  inhabitants  of  Colorado  are  great- 
ly indebted  to  such  pathfinders  as  Pike,  Long, 
Fowler,  Bent,  Carson,  Wooten,  Fremont,  Doyle, 
Beckwourth,  Maxwell,  Tom  Tobin  and  Prowers, 
with  a  host  of  others  whose  names  are  not  re- 
corded, but  whose  bravery  was  just  as  great,  who 
made  possible  the  present  conditions  in  the  Arkan- 
sas valley.  These  were  the  adventurous  heroes 
who,  in  the  midst  of  the  Arapahoes,  Cheyennes 


128  RANCH      LIFE 

and  Utes,  gained  a  foothold  on  the  Arkansas  river 
in  what  is  now  Colorado.  They  were  the  fore- 
runners of  the  present  pioneers  to  whom  we  are 
indebted  for  opening  up  and  making  habitable 
this  fruitful  land  of  fertile  soil  and  cloudless 
skies;  this  land,  where  gold,  silver,  lead  and  cop- 
per abound;  the  land  of  the  riches  of  Leadville, 
Cripple  Creek,  Gilpin  and  San  Juan.  These  very 
early  Colorado  pioneers  will  yet  be  held  in  still 
greater  regard  by  the  coming  generations  of  the 
Arkansas  valley  when  a  fuller  history  of  their 
real  achievements,  and  the  sacrifices  they  made, 
shall  be  written.  The  reward  of  their  efforts  they 
never  enjoyed;  the  mineral  productions,  rich 
farms  and  orchard  yields,  those  who  come  after 
them  will  enjoy  for  all  time. 

We  call  ours  a  higher  civilization,  but  it  is  not 
higher  in  achievements.  True,  we  have  brick 
houses,  telephones,  telegraphs,  railroads;  but 
these  men  knew  how  to  live  in  tents  and  adobe 
cabins,  to  drive  ox  teams,  or  ride  horseback  with 
the  greatest  skill.  They  had  little  use  for  school 
houses  or  churches.  The  warlike  environment 
was  incompatible  with  either  the  enjoyment  of 
religious  ceremony,  or  the  formal  cultivation  of 
the  intellect.  But  the  pioneers,  who  every  mo- 
ment had  to  defend  their  lives  and  with  most 
strenuous  exertions  procured  their  sustentation 
from  the  wild  game  and  arid  soil,  in  view  of  the 
final  results  to  the  thousands  who  came  after 


PIONEERS  129 

them,  were  learning  the  most  useful  lessons  and 
exercising  the  highest  type  of  unselfishness.  This 
was  education  more  important  by  far  than  any 
college  can  teach.  This  was  the  religion  of  science, 
which  is  the  struggle  for  existence  and  the  sur- 
vival of  the  fittest.  They  worked  for  the  future 
of  the  white  race,  sacrificing  themselves  uncon- 
sciously for  the  benefit  of  those  who  would  after- 
wards permanently  occupy  the  land.  They  were 
plain  people  who  valued  a  thing  for  its  usefulness. 
As  a  rule  they  were  not  educated  in  the  schools. 
The  only  language  they  knew  was  the  western 
vernacular;  but  at  the  same  time  they  were  most 
highly  educated  in  being  strictly  "on  to  their  job." 
Their  work  was  of  the  highest  importance  to  the 
present  inhabitants  of  Colorado,  and  we  should 
not  let  the  memory  of  their  deeds  and  their  real 
character,  hidden  beneath  a  rough  exterior,  die 
out.  They  made  the  most  exciting  era  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  white  race  in  deeds  of  real  valor,  with 
no  thought  of  their  own  aggrandizement,  and  with 
the  most  unselfish  hospitality.  They  were  cruel 
only  to  their  enemies,  to  those  who  would  murder 
them.  To  their  friends  they  were  the  embodiment 
of  kindness.  Whatever  faults  or  shortcomings 
may  characterize  the  western  pioneers,  timidity 
was  not  one  of  them.  Their  physiques  were  of 
the  tough  and  enduring  kind.  Their  courage  was 
never  wanting.  Their  brains,  while  not  always 
tending  toward  theological,  literary  or  scientific 


130  RANCH      LIFE 

thought,  were  quickly  responsive  to  the  practical 
requirements  of  their  environment.  Nature  was 
kind  to  them  because  they  were  attentive  to  her. 
With  axes,  rifles  and  plenty  of  ammunition  they 
boldly  penetrated  the  miscalled  "Great  American 
Desert,"  and  subdued  the  primitive  savage  who, 
in  open  defiance  of  the  pressing  necessity  for  geo- 
graphical expansion  of  the  crowded  population  of 
other  regions,  refused  to  share  in  peace  with  them 
this  bqundless  and  almost  uninhabited  region. 
They  proved  that  domestic  animals  would  flourish 
where  only  wild  game  before  existed,  and  that, 
instead  of  a  desert,  the  finest  soil  here  lay  fallow, 
making  the  most  profitable  agriculture  possible. 
Then,  when  by  their  indomitable  courage  and 
skill  they  had  thus  opened  up  the  way  for  the  com- 
ing of  the  more  timid  and  less  unselfish  brothers 
whom  they  had  left  in  the  crowded  and  stagnant 
surroundings  of  the  east,  they  magnanimously 
surrendered  the  field  of  wealth  and  empire  their 
own  arms  had  won,  and  moved  on  to  conquer  new 
worlds  for  other  coming  generations. 

Those  who  are  now  (1914)  enjoying  the  terri- 
tory thus  acquired,  should  honor  in  every  possible 
manner  the  achievements  of  the  pioneers,  and 
hand  the  memory  of  them  unsullied  down  to  fu- 
ture generations.  The  freedom  and  naturalism  of 
those  days  will  never  return.  They  live  only  in 
tradition,  song  and  story. 

The  Indians  no  longer  roam  the  Arkansas  val- 


PIONEERS  131 

ley;  the  ranchman  and  the  cowboy  have  evolved 
into  the  farmer  and  horticulturist ;  the  buffalo  and 
antelope  are  no  more;  the  ox  team  and  its  driver 
are  superseded  by  the  railroad  train.  We,  who 
have  experienced  some  of  these  forerunners  of 
civilization,  know  that  the  ruder  conditions  were 
useful  in  their  day  and  brought  as  much  happi- 
ness to  the  participants  as  the  present  conditions 
bring  to  the  people  of  this  day. 

Each  condition  has  its  repulsive  features.  But 
it  is  doubtful  whether  there  is  more  true  man- 
hood or  less  inhumanity,  except  in  form,  now  than 
in  the  pioneer  days  of  1846.  The  human  evolu- 
tion into  new  forms  of  society,  into  new  morals, 
into  more  intellect,  is  ever  going  on.  But  there 
goes  with  every  phase  of  the  evolution  a  taint  of 
the  former  conditions,  and  perhaps,  however  high 
humanity  may  yet  rise,  its  roots  must  still  remain 
in  the  soil  of  its  lowly  origin.  We  can  never  get 
away  from  human  traits,  nor  from  those  of  the 
lower  forms  of  animals  from  which  we  are  de- 
scended. The  persistency  of  these  traits  should 
convince  us  that  perhaps  it  is  not  best  that  we 
should  get  away  from  them.  At  any  rate,  we 
are  so  closely  connected  in  ties  of  time  and  blood 
with  those  early  pioneers  that  our  lives  of  which 
we  boast,  may  not  be  really  better  in  true  moral- 
ity, in  real  dignity  of  character,  in  the  homely 
virtues  of  honesty  and  service  to  mankind. 

Each  period  of  man's  existence  on  earth  has 


132  RANCH      LIFE 

its  peculiar  problems  to  solve.  The  work  of  the 
pioneers  of  the  Arkansas  valley  from  1846  to 
1868  was  to  replace  the  savage  or  barbarous  tribes 
of  redmen  with  the  civilized  race  of  white  men.  It 
was  an  irrepressible  conflict,  which  the  redman 
met  in  the  only  way  he  could  understand.  He 
fought  and  died  for  his  home.  In  ignorance,  he 
made  many  treaties  that  in  the  nature  of  things 
could  not  be  kept.  He  was  cruel  in  his  method 
because  he  knew  no  other  method.  The  whole  con- 
flict was  a  part  of  the  universal  struggle  for  ex- 
istence constantly  going  on  throughout  nature. 
The  fittest  survived,  but  during  the  struggle  deeds 
were  enacted  on  both  sides  that  will  not  bear  the 
light  of  the  Golden  Rule  nor  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount.  They  are  no  more  diabolical  than  those 
which  history  records  in  every  such  race  struggle, 
which  has  always  taken  place  in  the  natural  geo- 
graphical distribution  of  life  on  the  earth.  "Man's 
inhumanity  to  man"  always  has  made  and  per- 
haps always  will  make  "countless  thousands 


"THE  OLD  SANTA  FE  TRAIL" 


The  old  Santa  Fe  Trail  from  St.  Louis,  Mis- 
souri, to  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico,  was  initiated  on 
the  15th  of  May,  1824.  On  that  date  eighty  men 
started  with  a  wagon  train  loaded  with  merchan- 
dise for  Santa  Fe.  They  returned  in  September 
with  their  capital  greatly  increased  in  gold  and 
silver  and  $10,000  worth  of  furs.  From  the  pres- 
ent site  of  Kansas  City  they  followed  practically 
the  present  route  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  and 
Santa  Fe  Railway.  That  trail  left  the  Arkansas 
river  at  the  present  site  of  Las  Animas  and  bore 
toward  the  southwest.  There  was  also  a  branch 
of  it,  more  often  used,  crossing  the  Arkansas  near 
Fort  Lamed,  Kansas,  and  coming  into  the  valley 
of  the  Cimmaron  and  crossing  a  corner  of  Baca 
County,  Colorado.  From  Las  Animas,  or  rather 
Bent's  Fort,  another  brancTi  came  to  Pueblo,  Colo- 
rado, and  then  turned  south.  In  fact,  the  trail 
to  Pueblo,  up  the  Arkansas  river,  was  established 
as  early  as  1806  by  Zebulon  M.  Pike  and  his  com- 
panions, who  finally  arrived  at  Santa  Fe  by  way 
of  the  Wet  Mountain  Valley  and  the  San  Luis 
Valley.  However,  there  is  no  record  of  any  other 
effort  to  reach  Santa  Fe  by  way  of  Pike's  route 
beyond  Pueblo.  But  it  is  evident  that  the  trail 


134  RANCH      LIFE 

from  Missouri  by  way  of  Pike's  route  up  the 
Arkansas  river  to  Pueblo  was  used  long  before 
the  route  via  the  Cimmaron  to  Santa  Fe  became 
established.  It  has  been  thought  best  to  mark  the 
old  trail  to  Santa  Fe.  This  crossed  the  Colorado 
state  line  from  Kansas  near  where  Holly  now 
stands,  ran  on  the  north  side  of  the  Arkansas 
river,  and  near  to  it,  to  the  present  site  of  La 
Junta,  then  turning  southwest,  ran  up  Timpas 
creek  to  Trinidad,  leaving  the  State  of  Colorado 
at  the  location  of  Lynn.  The  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution  chose  this  route  and  have 
placed  markers  along  it.  The  old  trail  was  in  use 
for  fifty  years.  For  that  time  it  served  every 
function  now  performed  by  the  modern  railway, 
and  in  addition  throbbed  with  the  hopes  and  fears 
of  the  pioneer  trailers  along  the  monotonous 
course.  No  one  without  having  faced  the  savage 
foe,  lying  in  ambush,  ready  to  murder  the  in- 
vader of  the  west,  can  appreciate  the  debt  we  now 
owe  to  the  men  and  women  who  came  by  the  old 
Santa  Fe  Trail.  The  trail  itself  is  a  mere  physi- 
cal emblem  of  their  valor  and  the  contribution 
they  made  to  the  onward  march  of  civilization. 
Their  footsteps  on  this  trail  were  not  merely  those 
by  which  their  savage  foes  could  pursue  and  mur- 
der them,  but  were  "footprints  on  the  sands  of 
time"  from  which  further  generations  can  draw 
inspiration  for  still  other,  but  no  higher,  per- 
formance of  great  world  deeds. 


EXTRACT   FROM  A  PAPER   READ    BEFORE 

THE  STATE  REALTY  ASSOCIATION 

OF  COLORADO,  AT  DENVER, 

JUNE  7,  1904 


You  are  familiar  with  the  present  condition 
of  real  estate.  But  many  of  you  are  not  familiar 
with  the  great  changes  since  1870.  There  are 
others  who  could  recite  personal  observations 
back  as  far  as  1858-9  and  '60.  But  the  growth  of 
Colorado  from  1859  to  1870  was  small  compared 
with  any  like  period  since.  The  building  of  Colo- 
rado has  been  done  since  1870.  It  was  in  that 
year  that  the  first  railway  ran  into  Denver — the 
Kansas  Pacific,  followed  shortly  by  the  Denver 
Pacific  from  Cheyenne;  being  nearly  simultane- 
ous. 

The  United  States  census  was  then  being 
taken.  In  Denver  it  was  four  thousand  seven  hun- 
dred and  fifty-nine,  in  Pueblo  six  hundred  and 
sixty-six.  Colorado  had  less  than  forty  thousand. 

There  was  no  house  at  Colorado  Springs.  Colo- 
rado City  was  then  the  metropolis  of  El  Paso 
County.  Pike's  Peak  rose  as  grand  then  as  now 
above  the  clouds,  while  the  sparkling  soda  and 
iron  springs  at  its  foot  were  in  a  state  of  nature. 


136  RANCH      LIFE 

Manitou  and  the  Garden  of  the  Gods  were  un- 
born. The  present  fanciful  shapes  given  to  the 
numerous  projecting  rocks  of  that  region  and  so 
glibly  described  by  vehicle  drivers  to  susceptible 
tourists,  did  not  exist  at  that  day.  They  are  cre- 
ations largely  of  the  imagination,  and  serve  the 
commercial  purposes  of  those  now  using  them 
with  so  much  pecuniary  profit.  Colorado  Springs 
has  grown  from  the  log  cabin  eating  house,  built 
in  1871  or  1872  just  across  the  tracks  from  the 
present  D.  &  R.  G.  depot,  to  its  present  cosmopoli- 
tan proportions.  As  late  as  1868  the  Cheyennes 
made  a  raid  along  the  site  of  where  Colorado 
Springs  now  stands  and  shot  and  scalped  a  sheep 
herder  named  Baldwin,  who  was  grazing  his  sheep 
on  that  ground  and  watering  them  in  the  Monu- 
ment in  front  of  the  present  Antlers  Hotel. 

Pueblo  is  drawing  from  numerous  localities 
in  Colorado  the  life  blood  of  its  prosperity;  not 
only  this  but  every  part  of  the  State  of  Colorado 
contributes  more  or  less  material  to  its  manufac- 
tures. Many  localities  outside  of  the  state  also 
contribute  to  its  business  activity.  In  other  words, 
the  prosperity  of  Pueblo,  as  also  that  of  Denver 
and  Colorado  Springs,  is  co-ordinated  with  all 
other  contiguous  prosperity.  So  interwoven  are 
the  combined  commercial,  mineral  and  agricul- 
tural enterprises  of  the  state  and  the  nation  that 
depression  in  one  locality  is  immediately  felt  in 
all.  So  that  Colorado  as  a  whole,  and  its  cities 


REALTY      ASSOCIATION  137 

and  towns  especially,  as  parts,  can  be  prosperous 
only  as  the  nation,  as  a  whole,  is  prosperous.  This 
teaches  us  that  the  basis  of  our  efforts  must  neces- 
sarily be  along  the  correct  business  lines  that 
work  out  the  industrial  welfare  at  large.  Any 
other  methods  are  short-sighted  and  ephemeral 
and  react  in  a  disastrous  way. 

To  teach  these  lessons,  to  get  that  co-ordinated 
action  which  will  strengthen  and  foster  the 
growth  of  all  the  parts,  is  the  mission  of  a  State 
Realty  Association.  Isolation  in  business  is  sui- 
cidal. Combination,  co-ordination  and  co-opera- 
tion are  essential  to  development.  In  looking  back 
over  the  past  we  can  see  what  marvels  have  been 
wrought  from  the  most  unpromising  outlook.  At 
first,  in  Colorado  there  was  nothing  perceptible 
but  rock-ribbed,  barren  mountains  and  treeless 
prairies,  where  it  looked  as  if  a  jack-rabbit  could 
not  sustain  life.  But  the  gold  digger  soon  found 
riches  in  the  unpromising  rocks.  The  cattle  raiser 
discovered  nutrition  in  the  scant  grasses.  From 
these  primitive  occupations  what  great  things 
have  evolved !  The  evolution  has  been  a  survival 
of  the  fittest.  The  fittest  were  the  man  and  the 
method  which  best  contributed  to  the  development 
of  the  soil  and  the  mines. 

In  the  business  of  real  estate  what  curious 
and  unlocked  for  ups  and  downs  have  taken  place ! 
The  weak  have  succumbed  and  the  strong  sur- 
vived. Not  the  weak  in  the  physical  sense,  but 


138  RANCH     LIFE 

those  unfitted  by  the  structure  of  their  brains  to 
cope  with  the  rhythmical  and  merciless  causes  of 
commercialism  in  its  struggle  for  individual  as- 
cendency; the  overzealous,  the  too  strenuous  op- 
timist, as  well  as  the  rattle-brained  debtor  who 
always  held  only  equities,  who  considered  it  bad 
business  to  pay  debts  even  when  he  had  the 
money.  When  the  tide  of  prosperity  ebbed  the 
latter  was  stranded  high  on  the  sands ;  usually  he 
did  not  recover  from  his  failures. 

The  business  men  who  survive  repeated  panics 
and  never  repudiate  their  debts  are  worthy  of 
study.  Generally  they  are  the  ones  who  make  the 
least  noise  and  attract  the  least  attention.  They 
do  not  appear  in  daily  life  to  have  much  business ; 
they  walk  the  streets  leisurely  without  bluster  or 
hurry.  The  man  who  is  always  in  a  hurry  is  he 
who  does  a  petty  business  or  who  has  too  many 
irons  in  the  fire. 

The  great  lesson,  however,  to  be  drawn  from 
these  years  of  active  struggle  in  a  region  whose 
apparent  features  were  so  unpromising  is  the  one 
of  proper  methods — the  ethics  of  the  soil.  Real 
estate  dealers  are  engaged  in  the  basic  cause  of 
Anglo-Saxon  superiority  which  is  ownership  of 
the  land.  He  who  is  without  a  legal  footing  upon 
the  land  is  poor  indeed.  No  business  of  any  de- 
scription can  be  prosecuted  without  a  hold  upon 
real  estate;  even  a  steamship  line  whose  hulls  are 
in  the  water  is  valueless  without  a  terminal  on  the 


REALTY     ASSOCIATION  139 

shore.  The  sustentation  of  every  human  body  is 
drawn  from  the  ground.  Land  is  therefore  the 
foundation  of  life  itself.  When  the  Normans 
overran  and  conquered  England  the  Anglo-Sax- 
ons said  to  them,  "You  do  the  governing  and  we 
will  stick  to  our  farms  paying  the  tribute  you 
levy."  This  was  agreed  to;  today  the  Anglo- 
Saxons  still  hold  the  soil  and  the  wealth  of  Eng- 
land; while  the  only  marks  left  of  the  Norman 
power  are  the  tinselry  and  ceremony  fast  fading 
away  from  a  civilization  upon  which  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  has  forever  fastened  his  name  and  prac- 
tical sense.  The  same  principle  holds  in  this  great 
democratic  nation.  The  real  power  will  stay  with 
the  owners  of  that  realty  without  which  com- 
merce, manufacturing  and  agriculture  are  impos- 
sible. 


PATRIOTIC  ADDRESSES 


THE   PERSONAL  CHARACTER  AND   PUBLIC 
SERVICES  OF  GEORGE  WASHINGTON 


These  preliminary  remarks  were  added  to  this 
address  when  it  was  re-delivered  to  the  student 
body  of  Centennial  High  School. 

The  lesson  intended  to  be  conveyed  in  the  ad- 
dress about  to  be  read  is  that  true  greatness  is 
within  the  reach  of  every  boy  or  girl  who  possess- 
es the  right  kind  of  an  organism.  There  is  no 
reason  why  some  boy  in  this  audience  should  not 
achieve  what  Washington  did,  provided  the  con- 
ditions should  again  arise  demanding  the  same 
efforts.  True  greatness  is  not  brought  about  by 
a  magic  process  impossible  to  the  ordinary  mortal. 
It  is  the  result  of  doing  common  things  extraordi- 
narily well.  It  is  confined  to  no  special  class,  but 
more  often  emanates  from  humble,  rather  than 
luxurious  surroundings.  Moreover,  the  great 
lose  their  title  when  they  cease  to  be  in  touch 
with  the  common,  every-day  demands  of  life. 

Neither  is  it  official  position  that  makes  one 
great.  Those  who  have  made  themselves  great 
sometimes  are  placed  in  official  position.  Kings 
and  emperors,  although  born  into  high  positions, 
are  generally  stupid,  while  the  thinkers  of  the 


GEORGE      WASHINGTON  143 

world — the  real  epoch  makers,  like  Copernicus, 
Newton,  Darwin,  Washington  and  Lincoln — 
spring  from  the  common  people.  I  will  also  say 
to  the  girls  now  present,  that  the  mothers  of  these 
men  were  not  society  belles,  but  simple,  plain, 
earnest  women,  with  more  than  ordinary  common 
sense. 

This  Address  was  first  delivered  to  a  Masonic 
audience  at  Pueblo,  Colorado,  on  an  anniversary 
of  Washington's  birthday. 

I.  The  trend  of  latter  day  biography  is  to- 
ward personality.  The  public  want  to  know,  in 
addition  to  a  man's  public  services,  what  manner 
of  human  organism  produces  great  results  in  this 
world.  The  interests  of  science  and  philosophy 
also  demand  that  the  personality  of  eminent  men 
be  given  in  their  biographies,  along-side  of  their 
services.  Biology,  especially  that  branch  of  it 
treating  of  genesis  and  heredity,  together  with  its 
connected  science,  psychology,  has  been  built  up 
as  an  inductive  science  by  bringing  together  as 
cause  and  effect  organic  peculiarities  and  the  re- 
sulting mentality.  This  connection  in  the  written 
lives  of  great  men  makes  possible  such  truthful 
generalizations  as  that  "Great  mothers  have  great 
sons;"  "Organisms  inherit  the  fixed  functional 
characteristics  of  their  ancestry;"  and  that  "A 
man  is  the  organic  registration  of  the  predomi- 
nant traits  in  the  lives  of  his  ancestry,  back  to  the 
beginning  of  life  on  the  globe."  Great  advances 


144  RANCH      LIFE 

in  anthropological  science  must  be  simultaneous 
with  equally  important  advance  in  its  copious 
source  of  inductive  facts,  the  personality  of  con- 
temporaneous biography. 

II.  In  the  case  of  General  Washington,  all 
his  biographers,  from  Weems,  who  was  amongst 
the  first  and  whose  school  history  was  universal 
in  my  boyhood  days,  down  to  the  elaborate  "Life" 
by  Washington  Irving,  said  very  little  of  his  per- 
sonal appearance  and  individuality.  In  fact,  noth- 
ing that  would  be  of  importance  in  formulating 
any  scientific  inferences.  Weems'  ruling  idea 
seems  to  have  been  to  make  of  him  a  model  saint 
for  children  to  pattern  after.  He,  therefore,  gave 
prominence  to  such  fictions  as  his  fervent  devotion 
to  religious  rites  and  the  tradition  of  the  hatchet 
and  cherry  tree.  Until  within  the  last  few  years, 
I  think  Washington  was  regarded  more  as  an 
ideal  than  a  real  character.  Even  the  numerous 
artists  who  painted  his  portraits,  instead  of  pre- 
senting him  in  his  natural  hair  and  every-day 
clothes  and  postures,  represented  him  in  pow- 
dered wig,  laces  and  impossible  positions.  Stew- 
art's bust  portrait,  from  which  nearly  all  the 
modern  prints  of  him  are  copied,  is  undoubtedly 
largely  fanciful,  with  a  face  more  of  an  anthropo- 
morphic demigod  than  that  of  a  plain  Virginia 
farmer.  Too  many  writers  and  artists  seem  to 
think  it  necessary  to  clothe  greatness  in  other 
garb  than  the  homely  contour  and  habiliments  of 


GEORGE      WASHINGTON  145 

every-day  manhood.  Washington  was  a  plain 
man,  uneducated  in  books,  but  possessed  of  un- 
usual practical  common  sense.  In  the  days  of  our 
country's  fathers,  the  art  of  taking  sun  portraits 
had  not  been  discovered.  Daguerre  had  not  in- 
vented his  process  call  the  daguerrotype,  followed 
long  after  by  the  present  invaluable  methods  of 
photography.  The  latter  presents  the  human  face 
and  form  as  it  is  in  nature,  except  the  colorings. 
One  good  photograph  of  Washington,  as  he  spent 
his  days  in  his  every-day  attire  at  Mt.  Vernon,  or 
in  his  camp  at  Valley  Forge,  for  the  purpose  of 
studying  his  person,  would  be  worth  more  than  all 
the  portraits  ever  painted  of  him.  Fortunately 
there  was  a  life-mask  taken  from  his  face.  I  ex- 
amined this  mask,  or  a  copy  of  it,  in  one  of  the 
eastern  art  galleries.  It  was  exceedingly  interest- 
ing. It  showed  a  peculiar  rigidity  of  his  face, 
which  was  undoubtedly  the  facial  correlative  of 
that  quality  which  gave  so  much  dignity  to  his 
presence.  The  chin  was  prominent,  the  whole 
lower  jaw  large  and  finely  moulded,  the  character- 
istic of  firmness  and  persistence.  His  nose  was 
slightly  Roman,  indicative  of  executive  force ;  the 
eyes  large  and  wide  apart,  showing  breadth  of 
mental  vision;  the  cheek-bones  large  and  promi- 
nent, characteristics  of  physical  endurance;  the 
forehead  prominent  in  the  lower  portion  and  slop- 
ing back,  showing  him  more  of  a  utilitarian  than 
an  intellectual  idealist.  We  are  told  that  his  hair 


146  RANCHLIFE 

was  a  deep  brown,  his  complexion  fair  and  color- 
less, his  face  marked  by  smallpox.  His  eyes  were 
blue  and  rather  dull.  He  measured  6  feet  31/2 
inches  in  height,  was  large-boned  and  exceedingly 
well  muscled,  carrying  himself,  especially  on 
horseback,  most  gracefully.  His  hands  and  feet 
were  very  large,  though  not  out  of  proportion. 
Lafayette  wrote  that  he  had  seen  him  sitting  at 
table  two  hours  after  dinner,  eating  nuts.  These 
details  are  very  instructive,  because  they  plainly 
indicate  to  the  student  of  ethnology  the  true 
character  of  the  man.  They  are  infinitely  more 
valuable  than  the  idle  repetitions  of  mere  neigh- 
borhood traditions  by  purposeful  biographers. 
They  indicate  a  powerful  human,  not  saintly,  or- 
ganism, adapted  to  succeed  in  any  active,  manly 
undertaking.  They  are  the  visible  signs  of  strong 
human  traits,  such  as  successful  warriors  habitu- 
ally display.  It  is  not  the  makeup  of  a  scholar 
or  a  poet,  nor  a  dreamer,  nor  of  a  philosopher, 
such  as  was  Benjamin  Franklin,  nor  of  John  Ad- 
ams, the  lawyer  and  orator,  nor  of  Thomas  Jef- 
ferson, the  author  of  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence and  a  learned  humanitarian.  But  it  was  the 
organism  of  a  statesman  and  soldier,  who  in  the 
troublous  times  of  the  Revolution,  rose  far  su- 
perior to  all  these  contemporaries  in  the  practical 
power  to  grasp  and  put  into  operation  the  states- 
manship and  militarism  necessary  to  the  success- 
ful separation  of  the  colonies  from  the  mother 


GEORGE      WASHINGTON  147 

country.  He  not  only  carried  the  Revolution  to  a 
successful  issue,  but  was  a  master  workman  in 
setting  up  the  political  machinery  that  has  needed 
but  little  repair  for  more  than  a  century. 

Washington  has  now  been  dead  more  than  a 
hundred  years.  As  illustrative  of  the  wonderful 
correlation  of  his  physical  and  mental  powers,  I 
give  the  following  analogues :  For  sixty-one  years 
after  his  death  the  nation  looked  in  vain  for  an- 
other built  upon  the  same  plan.  But  the  seeking 
was  more  or  less  a  blind  hunt,  principally  because 
the  people  had  access  in  his  biographies,  not  to  his 
personal  traits  and  physical  and  mental  organiza- 
tion, but  only  to  his  public  acts,  and  to  much  fic- 
tion about  his  supposed  ethical  and  theological 
opinions.  But  in  1860,  in  a  haphazard  way,  they 
stumbled  upon  the  same  type  of  greatness,  em- 
bodied in  the  same  kind  of  organism,  the  same 
height,  large  boned,  less  graceful  in  body  and  so- 
cial functions,  but  containing  a  higher  order  of 
pure  intellect ;  one  who  carried  the  nation  through 
a  much  larger  and  more  difficult  war  than  the 
Revolution ;  not,  like  Washington,  as  Commander- 
in-chief  in  the  field,  but  from  his  office  in  the 
Capitol  city  of  the  country. 

The  co-incidence  of  the  physical  and  mental 
traits  of  the  two  greatest  men  in  our  history 
shows  that  there  is  much  more  in  personality 
than  was  dreamed  of  by  biographers  a  hundred 
years  ago.  I  say  that  Lincoln  had  a  higher  order 


148  RANCH     LIFE 

of  mere  intellect  than  Washington,  but  was  per- 
haps not  thereby  a  greater  man,  in  the  common 
acceptation  of  that  word;  for  intellect  is  only  a 
part  of  mentality.  For  instance,  it  seems  to  be 
pretty  certain  that  Washington  was  only  nominal- 
ly the  author  of  his  "Farewell  Address."  Ford, 
in  his  "True  George  Washington"  says:  "First 
Madison  was  asked  to  prepare  a  draft,  and  from 
this  Washington  drew  up  a  paper  which  he  sub- 
mitted to  Hamilton  and  Jay,  with  the  request  that 
they  put  it  in  proper  form."  Hamilton  made  num- 
erous changes,  and  wrote  it  in  the  language  in 
which  we  now  have  it.  He  made  its  tone  less  per- 
sonal and  gave  it  style  and  expression.  But  Lin- 
coln needed  no  one  to  revise  his  Gettysburg  ad- 
dress or  his  second  inaugural — papers  that  will 
stand  beside  the  Farewell  Address  to  the  latest 
stroke  of  time.  Another  instance:  I  met  in  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion,  a  great  and  most  successful 
general  (I  think  him  the  greatest  military  genius 
on  the  Union  side  of  the  Civil  War),  who  re- 
minded me  of  the  personality  of  Washington  as  I 
had  read  of  him.  He  was,  perhaps  as  tall,  but 
heavier,  and  had  face  and  hair  very  much  of  the 
same  color.  He  was  also  a  Virginian.  His  man- 
ner was  grave,  his  movements  were  slow,  but  he 
was  never  unprepared  and  never  taken  by  sur- 
prise. He  never  lost  a  battle  when  he  had  per- 
sonal control  of  the  entire  forces  engaged.  His 


GEORGE      WASHINGTON  149 

name  was  George  H.  Thomas,  but  I  like  to  call 
him,  "The  Modern  George  Washington." 

I  love  to  study  the  personal  peculiarities  of 
true  men.  If  the  theory  of  organic  evolution  is 
correct,  then  the  true  character  is  more  or  less 
disclosed  in  what  may  be  called  the  general  make- 
up, that  is — in  scientific  language — the  morphol- 
ogy and  physiology  of  the  organism.  Not  only 
does  the  shape  of  the  head  and  the  physiognomy 
determine  character,  but  the  shape  of  the  body, 
the  hands,  the  feet,  the  mouth,  ears,  nose,  as  well 
as  the  walk,  the  voice,  the  texture  of  the  hair, 
every  motion  of  every  part  of  the  body,  the  hand 
writing,  the  manner  of  shaking  hands;  in  fact, 
the  aggregate,  both  structural  and  functional,  of 
the  organism  makes  up  character  and  determines 
what  each  particular  person  must  necessarily  do 
under  any  given  circumstances,  all  through  his 
life.  Benedict  Arnold  was  perhaps  a  more  intel- 
lectual man  than  Washington,  but  not  having 
Washington's  general  make-up  in  other  respects, 
could  not  have  accomplished  what  the  latter  did. 
On  the  other  hand,  it  would  have  been  impossible 
for  Washington  to  become  a  traitor.  To  use  a 
slang  phrase,  which  at  the  same  time  has  a  broad 
scientific  basis,  it  was  because  he  "was  not  built 
that  way."  So  that  a  proper  study  of  a  man's 
physique  is  necessary  to  a  proper  interpretation 
of  the  causes  of  his  successes  as  well  as  his  fail- 
ures. 


150  RANCHLIFE 

III.  Perhaps  the  predominant  trait  in  Wash- 
ington was  thoroughness.  He  was  honest,  through 
and  through,  and  brought  to  the  performance  of 
every  duty,  small  as  well  as  great,  a  resolute  pur- 
pose to  do  his  "level  best."  His  correspondence, 
which  was  very  voluminous,  and  which  only  lately 
has  been  compiled  and  published,  was  of  the  most 
painstaking  and  laborious  character.  He  did  not 
dictate  to  a  stenographer,  but  painfully  wrote  out 
every  word  with  his  own  fingers  and  with  expres- 
sions of  the  most  elaborate  politeness.  His  sur- 
veys for  Lord  Fairfax,  made  when  a  very  young 
man,  were  most  faithfully  done.  He  avoided  no 
exposure  to  the  weather,  and  made  long  journeys 
into  the  western  wilds,  far  from  the  comforts  of 
home  and  the  allurements  of  society,  while  other 
more  showy  young  men  were  dawdling  away  their 
precious  days  in  the  pleasures  of  society,  but  who 
are  now  forgotten.  His  farming  at  Mount  Vernon 
is  noted  at  this  day  as  being  the  best  and  most 
successful  of  his  time.  He  laboriously  and  most 
intelligently  mastered  every  detail  of  it,  making 
maps  of  his  fields  and  watching  with  his  own  eyes 
the  progress  of  all  its  operations.  He  incurred 
his  last  sickness  while  riding  in  a  storm  to  make 
his  daily  inspections.  Washington  had  that  love 
of  the  soil,  that  rural  predilection  so  characteristic 
of,  and  which  has  given,  the  Anglo-Saxon  his  su- 
periority to  other  races  in  the  practical  affairs  of 
the  world.  The  independence  from  patronage 


GEORGE      WASHINGTON  151 

and  paternalism  that  accompanies  the  pursuit  of 
agriculture,  was,  next  to  his  physico-mental  or- 
ganism, perhaps  the  most  potent  factor  in  form- 
ing his  character.  John  Adams,  in  his  speech  in 
the  congress  nominating  him  for  Commander-in- 
chief  of  the  Colonial  Armies,  made  a  strong  point 
of  this  sturdy  independence  in  Washington.  No 
public  honors  could  wean  him  from  his  love  for 
the  real  source  of  his  personal  power  and  inde- 
pendence— the  fair  acres  of  Mount  Vernon. 

In  the  midst  of  his  most  arduous  campaigns 
as  a  soldier,  he  never  neglected  his  farm.  He  re- 
ceived long  reports  from  his  superintendent,  and 
wrote  him  at  times  as  many  as  sixteen  pages  of 
minute  instructions,  covering  every  detail  of  farm 
ing  operations.  He  was  eager  at  the  termination 
of  the  war,  to  return  to  his  favorite  pursuit.  But 
mark  the  result  of  such  sturdy  independence.  The 
people,  while  filled  with  admiration  for  his  mili- 
tary career,  were  also  unconsciously  drawn  to  him 
by  this  and  other  exhibitions  of  unselfishness, 
while  he  had  it  in  his  power  to  make  himself  a 
pensioner  and  a  dependent  on  the  public  treasury. 
They,  therefore,  determined  to  keep  him  in  their 
highest  service.  Honors  came  unsought  to  him, 
who  had  the  manhood  to  turn  his  back  upon  them. 
It  was  his  manly  reliance  upon  personal  effort  in 
the  great  struggle  of  life,  that  made  others  ready 
to  struggle  for  him.  Every  duty  of  his  life,  how- 
ever small,  was  faithfully  done,  and  thus  he  pre- 


152  RANCHLIPE 

pared  himself  for  the  next.  Therefore,  he  was 
equal  to  every  call  as  it  came,  however  great. 
What  would  have  been  laborious  and  difficult  to 
ordinary  men,  who  never  did  small  things  well, 
came  easy  to  him.  This  trait  stood  him  better 
than  college  education,  of  which  he  had  none. 

While  he  did  not  spell  well,  and  spoke  no 
language  but  his  own,  yet  Patrick  Henry  said  of 
him,  in  the  congress  of  1774,  that  "in  solid  in- 
formation and  sound  judgment,  Colonel  Washing- 
ton is  unquestionably  the  greatest  man  on  the 
floor."  History  recites  his  public  life,  but  I  like 
best  to  dwell  upon  his  private  character,  because 
his  splendid  public  career  was  made  possible  only 
because  of  these  admirable  traits  faithfully  cul- 
tivated in  fhe  obscurer  and  earlier  half  of  his 
career.  His  home  was  at  Mount  Vernon  for  forty- 
six  years — two-thirds  of  his  life.  But  he  spent 
only  half  of  these  years  in  the  beloved  quiet  of 
its  exquisite  surroundings;  the  other  half  being 
devoted  to  the  public  service,  away  from  home. 
The  twenty-three  domestic  years  were  the  hap- 
piest of  his  matured  manhood.  The  plain  country 
mansion  of  colonial  architecture,  still  preserved 
through  the  munificence  of  the  patriotic  women  of 
our  country,  as  it  was  when  Washington  trod  its 
floors,  was  baronial  only  in  its  hospitality.  Com- 
pared with  the  stately  homes  of  Old  England  it  is 
simplicity  itself.  But  what  it  lacks  in  magnifi- 
cence or  gilded  splendor  has  been  more  than  made 


GEORGE      WASHINGTON  153 

up  by  the  affections  of  the  American  people  which 
have  settled  upon  it  in  one  perpetual  sunshine. 

I  turn  with  reluctance  from  so  fascinating  a 
private  character;  but  something  more  is  ex- 
pected to  be  said  of  his  public  career.  Not  only 
the  history  of  his  country,  but  the  world's  his- 
tory treats  copiously  of  that.  So  seldom  have  the 
centuries  produced  a  really  great  man,  that  Car- 
lyle,  in  his  "Heroes  and  Hero  Worship,"  refers 
to  only  three  great  kings.  Napoleon  I  and  Fred- 
erick the  Great  are  two  of  these.  In  physical 
stature  they  were  dwarfs  beside  the  stately  Wash- 
ington, while  compared  with  what  the  latter  has 
done  for  mankind,  their  achievements  dwindle 
into  insignificance.  Washington  never  fought  a 
battle  for  conquest,  yet  he  wrested  a  nascent  im- 
perial domain  from  the  greatest  power  of  the 
world  and  handed  it  over  to  his  fellow  country- 
men for  the  benefit  of  themselves  and  their  suc- 
cessors in  perpetuity.  Then,  like  another  Cin- 
cinnatus,  he  modestly  retired  to  his  farm  refusing 
any  compensation  except  his  necessary  expenses 
for  such  great  services.  But  what  was  worth  more 
to  him  than  gold — the  affections  of  the  common 
people  of  the  whole  world — have  enshrined  his 
name  for  all  time. 

Frederick  and  Napoleon  bestowed  the  ill-got- 
ten territory  and  plunder  of  their  conquests  upon 
themselves  and  their  families.  Napoleon  I,  who 
stands  in  history  as  a  greater  warrior  was  con- 


154  RANCHLIFE 

quered  by  the  nation  that  Washington  successful- 
ly resisted.  He  died  a  prisoner  of  that  power, 
while  Washington  passed  away  in  the  peaceful, 
independent  shades  of  his  own  home,  in  the  midst 
of  an  independent  people  made  free  by  his  own  ef- 
forts, mourned  and  beloved  by  Christendom,  in- 
cluding most  of  those  against  whom  he  had  so 
lately  fought. 

Every  school  boy  knows  the  historical  details 
of  the  public  services  of  Washington,  therefore  it 
would  be  mere  platitude  to  recite  them  here,  but 
significant  fact  shows  what  a  dominating  power 
he  was  in  the  events  then  passing.  From  that  day 
in  1775,  when,  under  the  tree  that  still  stands  in 
Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  he  by  vote  of  Congress 
assumed  command  ofthe  colonial  army,  until  the 
declaration  of  peace  in  1783,  he  was  always  in 
command  personally  directing  all  the  movements 
in  the  field.  When  battle  reverses  came,  when  his 
trusted  officers  deserted  him,  when  Congress  it- 
self was  in  doubt  whether  a  change  of  command- 
ers might  not  be  best,  he  did  not  lose  heart  but 
persevered  to  the  end.  Washington,  Greene  and 
Knox  were  the  three  officers  who  began  at  the 
beginning  of  the  war  and  fought  without  waver- 
ing to  the  close.  Always  at  the  front,  amidst  the 
uncertaintain  fortunes  of  battle,  when  weaker 
officers  lost  their  heads,  Washington  kept  his  eyes 
of  faith,  like  those  of  the  eagle's  to  the  sun,  upon 
the  rising  "Halo  of  triumph  that  he  believed  would 


GEORGE      WASHINGTON  155 

ultimately  fall,  like  a  benediction  upon  the  super- 
human struggle  that  he  and  his  ragged  and  foot- 
sore yeomanry  were  then  putting  forth. 

His  transcendent  public  services  to  his  own 
country,  looking  back  across  the  19th  Century  to 
the  results,  cannot  be  extolled  too  highly.  But  in 
what  splendor  of  diction  can  one  couch  the  in- 
direct effects  they  have  had  upon  the  personal 
status  of  the  masses  throughout  the  world,  in  giv- 
ing an  impetus  to  the  cause  of  universal  freedom  ? 
The  French  Revolution  did  not  occur  until  six 
years  after  the  achievement  of  American  inde- 
pendence. The  two  came  too  close  together  not 
to  have  an  inspirational  connection.  Little  did 
Louis  XVI  imagine  that  his  assistance  given  so 
opportunely  to  Washington  in  our  struggle,  (not 
so  much,  however,  to  assist  us  as  to  punish  George 
III),  would  react  in  so  few  years  on  his  own  per- 
son and  throne  in  the  way  history  records.  Thus 
the  influence  of  the  public  services  we  are  now 
considering  has  permeated  the  atmosphere  of 
every  monarchy  in  the  world  for  a  century,  mak- 
ing that  atmosphere  easier  to  breathe  for  the  op- 
pressed, and  slowly  corroding  the  chains  that  hold 
monarchical  peoples  in  what  was  before  a  hope- 
less bondage. 

In  this  light,  how  can  we  measure  the  height 
and  depth  and  breadth  of  the  public  services  of 
Washington?  For  it  was  he,  next  only  to  the  all- 
pervading  spirit  of  resistance  in  the  people  of  the 


156  RANCHLIFE 

Colonies,  that  made  our  independence  possible. 
Had  he  faltered,  or  had  there  been  a  defect  in  his 
organization,  failure  would  undoubtedly  have 
come,  instead  of  such  glorious  triumph.  There 
would  have  been  darkness  instead  of  the  bright 
light  of  freedom. 

It  is  difficult  to  say  how  long,  in  case  of  such 
failure,  the  independence  of  the  Colonies  may 
have  been  delayed.  But  coming  when  it  did  by 
the  efforts  of  Washington,  the  resultant  republic 
is  now,  in  the  beginning  of  the  20th  Century,  so 
great  a  power  in  the  world,  that  monarchs  every- 
where are  fearing  it  secretly,  and  publicly  scramb- 
ling among  themselves  for  priority  of  alliance 
with  it. 

The  principle  of  freedom,  held  theretofore  only 
in  theory  by  such  men  as  Jean  Jacques  Rousseau, 
at  once  thereafter  became  a  practical  force  sweep- 
ing monarchy  from  the  Western  continent  and  in 
time  will  do  the  same  in  the  Eastern.  When  that 
time  comes,  in  the  slow  evolution  of  humanity,  the 
paradox  that  nations  of  strong  men  as  late  as  the 
dawn  of  the  twentieth  century,  allowed  themselves 
to  be  governed  and  oppressed  by  crowned  tyrants, 
will  be  classed  with  witchcraft  and  human  slav- 
ery, as  one  of  the  delusions  that  have,  all  through 
man's  history,  sat  like  "an  old  man  of  the  sea" 
on  the  throne  of  human  reason. 

In  this  sense,  the  public  services  of  Washing- 
ton take  rank  as  almost  a  new  force  in  the  evolu- 


GEORGE      WASHINGTON  157 

tion  of  human  society.  Men  of  Eastern  nations, 
having  before  them  the  perpetual  apparition  of  a 
great  republic,  growing  up  beneath  the  setting 
sun,  as  the  apotheosis  of  the  immortal  principles 
of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  must  in  time, 
conclude  that  all  men  should  be  thus  conditioned ; 
that  if  there  is  any  meaning  in  human  existence, 
then  every  combination  of  men  should  be  domi- 
nated by  the  will  of  its  members  only;  that  no 
divine  command  has  ever  been  given  to  any  man 
or  set  of  men  to  govern  and  oppress  the  re- 
mainder ;  that  all  power,  as  a  fundamental  law  of 
society,  must  ultimately  be  derived  from  the  con- 
sent of  those  on  whom  the  power  so  derived  is  to 
be  exerted.  For 

"Bequeathed  from  sire  to  son, 
Freedom's  battle,  once  begun 
Is  never  lost,  but  ever  won." 


THE  BATTLE  OF  LEXINGTON 


Read  before  the  Pueblo  Chapter  of  The 
Daughters  of  The  American  Revolution. 

April  19,  1889,  being  a  beautiful  sunshiny  day, 
two  companions  sojourning  at  Wellesley,  Mass., 
proceeded  by  private  conveyance  across  country  to 
Lexington.  The  annual  celebration  of  the  battle 
was  to  occur,  Edward  Everett  Hale  being  the  or- 
ator. The  distance,  eleven  miles  (the  same  as 
from  Boston),  the  roads  being  fine,  atmosphere 
balmy  and  exhilirating,  seemed  much  shorter.  Oc- 
casionally changing  direction  by  way  of  a  cross 
road,  they  finally  turned  the  horse's  head  toward 
the  historic  village  on  a  fine  macadamized  turn- 
pike between  two  stone  walls  which  stretched 
ahead  as  far  as  eye  could  reach.  They  had  al- 
ready stopped  and  asked  the  way  of  almost  every 
one  met  in  the  road.  Not  that  the  sign  boards  on 
the  intersections  did  not  point  the  correct  way, 
but  those  tourists  felt  the  exuberance  of  the  sun- 
shine and  the  anticipation  of  enjoying  a  holiday 
on  the  very  spot  where  liberty  was  born  114  years 
before.  They  wanted  to  impart  some  of  this  spirit 
to  those  on  the  road  who  showed  by  their  indif- 
ference and  the  direction  of  their  locomotion  that 
they  did  not  know  how  the  day  should  be  spent 


BATTLE      OF     LEXINGTON  159 

or  did  not  care.  To  these  companions  it  seemed 
incredible  that  any  one  in  Massachusetts  could 
stay  away  from  such  a  celebration  on  such  an  an- 
niversary. At  one  point  just  ahead  of  them  driv- 
ing out  of  a  gate  of  an  estate  (all  the  places  are 
called  estates)  came  a  farmer  in  a  one-horse 
wagon — not  a  "one-horse  shay."  He  turned  in  a 
direction  showing  his  ignorance  of  the  celebra- 
tion. Being  hailed  and  asked  if  these  companions 
were  proceeding  toward  Lexington,  he  replied, 
"Which  Lexington?  The  town  or  the  village?" 
Not  knowing  that  there  were  two  Lexingtons,  they 
were  somewhat  surprised  at  his  answering  their 
question  by  asking  another;  evidently  he  was  a 
true  Yankee !  At  a  venture  one  of  the  companions 
replied  "village."  He  said,  "Go  straight  ahead 
and  don't  turn  'nary  way.'  "  This  straight  answer 
in  crooked  syntax  by  turning  "nary  way,"  enabled 
the  travelers  to  arrive  in  due  time  at  their  des- 
tination. 

These  two  companions  entered  so  heartily  into 
the  spirt  of  the  day  for  many  reasons;  but  the 
principal  one  was  that  both  of  them  were  of  New 
England  stock  and  descended  from  ancestors  who 
as  early  as  1638  came  over  and  settled  in  New 
England. 

The  most  conspicuous  object  in  the  village  of 
Lexington  is  the  common  on  which  Captain  John 
Parker  formed  his  crude  company  about  2  o'clock 
the  morning  of  the  19th  of  April,  1775.  There 


160  RANCH      LIFE 

were  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  in  line  at  that 
time,  pioneer  patriots  of  all  ages  armed  with  a 
variety  of  guns,  with  no  uniforms;  their  hearts 
filled  with  patriotism  and  personal  bravery,  but 
without  discipline.  The  Captain  instructed  them 
to  load  their  pieces  but  "not  to  fire  the  first  shot." 
He  then  sent  forward  some  scouts  who  reported 
"no  enemy  yet  in  sight."  The  company  was  dis- 
missed after  posting  sentinels  with  instructions  to 
assemble  again  at  the  sound  of  the  drums  or  the 
firing  of  muskets.  Some  of  them  went  to  their 
homes  and  others  to  the  tavern  at  one  corner  of 
the  common.  In  the  meantime  let  us  inquire  for 
what  this  band  of  brave  freemen  was  waiting? 

The  Boston  massacre  had  occurred  in  1770; 
the  tea  was  emptied  into  the  harbor  in  1773.  Gen- 
eral Gage,  a  British  officer,  had  been  made  civil 
governor  of  Massachusetts  in  1774  by  King 
George  III,  and  ordered  to  shut  the  port  of  Boston 
and  punish  the  ring  leaders  of  the  resistance  then 
rife  to  kingly  authority.  Massachusetts  had  been 
declared  in  rebellion.  Seven  regiments  of  British 
troops,  under  Lord  Percy,  were  encamped  on  Bos- 
ton Common  in  April,  1775.  These  troops  were  in- 
structed to  enforce  the  Colonial  revenue  laws  of 
England,  which  included  the  well  known  stamp 
tax  and  duty  on  tea  imported  into  the  colonies. 
The  duty  on  tea  was  still  in  force.  This  taxation, 
and  in  fact  the  power  of  the  English  parliament 
to  tax  the  colonies  without  their  consent,  was  re- 


BATTLE      OF     LEXINGTON  1G1 

sisted  by  the  Americans.  The  colonies  were  not 
represented  in  parliament  and  no  steps  had  been 
taken  to  give  them  this  right.  In  fact  representa- 
tion so  far  away  was  considered  impractical.  This 
resistance  was  really  the  same  as  a  declaration 
that  taxes  could  not  be  laid  except  by  the  people 
upon  themselves.  This  was  good  English  law. 
This  principle  now  lies  at  the  very  foundation  of 
present  representative  form  of  government  in  the 
United  States.  The  colonial  stamp  tax  enacted  in 
1765  by  England,  was  repealed  in  1766,  because  it 
could  not  be  enforced  against  an  unwilling  people, 
but  a  protest  was  signed  by  a  large  number  of 
members  of  parliament  against  such  repeal.  This 
protest  said,  among  other  things,  "this  concession 
tends  to  throw  the  whole  British  empire  into  a 
state  of  confusion,  as  the  plea  of  the  North  Amer- 
ican colonies,  of  not  being  represented  in  parlia- 
ment of  Great  Britain,  may  by  the  same  reason- 
ing, be  extended  to  all  persons  in  this  island  who 
do  not  actually  vote  for  members  of  parliament." 
This  was  true.  The  true  cause  of  the  struggle  for 
liberty  at  Lexington,  was  the  cause  of  disfran- 
chised people  everywhere.  That  is  one  reason  why 
the  shot  fired  there  was  heard  round  the  world. 
In  other  words,  struggles  will  always  exist  where 
people  do  not  govern  themselves.  The  objection 
of  the  Americans  was  not  to  the  tax  as  onerous, 
and  in  itself  improper  taxation,  but  that  it  should 
be  laid  only  by  the  people,  by  their  representa- 


162  RANCH     LIFE 

tives,  and  for  the  benefit  of  the  people.  But  here 
was  a  proposition  to  tax  the  colonies,  not  for  their 
benefit,  but  to  pay  the  King's  retainers  for  holding 
the  colonies  in  subjection.  This  was  the  principle 
at  stake.  The  same  kind  of  taxes  have  been 
frequently  laid  since  then  in  the  United  States; 
notably  the  stamp  taxes  during  the  Civil  War  and 
after  the  Spanish  War.  Tea  has  been  made  to  pay 
duty  by  Congress.  But  these  taxes  were  levied 
by  the  people's  representatives  and  spent  here 
for  purposes  approved  by  the  people. 

Think — if  it  be  possible  for  intelligent  men 
and  women  to  think  such  a  paradox — of  England's 
expecting  to  build  up  and  hold  the  American  col- 
onies and  at  the  same  time  suppress  manufactur- 
ing by  them,  prohibit  importation  from  any  coun- 
try but  England  and  rule  them  by  the  prerogative 
of  the  King !  Also,  do  not  delude  yourselves  with 
the  idea  that  such  methods  passed  away  from  the 
English  mind  with  the  success  of  our  Revolution- 
ary War.  They  are  now  doing  the  same  and  worse 
in  East  India. 

The  presence  of  British  troops  in  Boston  by 
order  of  King  George  III  to  enforce  laws  that  had 
already  been  declared  illegal  by  the  people  of 
Massachusetts,  was  in  itself  a  state  of  war.  But 
the  colony  was  not  prepared  for  war,  and  its  citi- 
zens instinctively  shrank  from  attacking  the  great 
English  nation,  thus  invoking  a  contest  that 
seemed  hopeless  to  the  colonists.  The  congress  of 


BATTLE      OF     LEXINGTON  163 

Massachusetts  resolved  against  any  act  that  could 
be  construed  into  a  commencement  of  hostilities. 
At  this  time,  however,  and  before,  nearly  all  the 
colonies  had  taken  some  steps  looking  towards  de- 
fense. Patrick  Henry  delivered  his  famous  speech 
in  the  Virginia  house  of  Burgesses  sometime  be- 
fore ;  but  no  formal  action  of  separation  had  been 
taken  as  yet,  only  an  occasional  suggestion  of  it. 
That  came  later  and  only  when  the  leaders  dis- 
covered that  although  they  were  in  an  almost 
hopeless  minority,  yet  the  people  possessed  the 
most  sturdy  spirit  of  resistance  and  willingness 
to  wage  battle.  And,  as  Richard  Henry  Lee  said, 
"He  is  thrice  armed  whose  cause  is  just." 

At  Concord,  a  village  a  few  miles  west  of  Lex- 
ington, the  patriots  had  accumulated  some  ammu- 
nition and  a  few  pieces  of  artillery.  General  Gage 
learned  of  this.  He  received  instructions  from  the 
king  "to  seize  and  secure  all  military  stores  of 
every  kind  collected  by  the  rebels."  Hence  the  ad- 
vance on  the  19th  day  of  April,  1775,  by  the  Brit- 
ish troops  on  Concord  through  Lexington.  At  this 
time  the  eyes  of  Europe,  as  well  as  those  of  the 
other  colonies  of  America,  were  turned  toward 
Boston  and  its  vicinity.  For  here  James  Otis  and 
Samuel  Adams,  the  ablest  statesmen  of  America, 
resided  and  had  raised  the  first  alarm  at  the  ag- 
gressions of  the  King.  They  led  in  urging  the 
people  to  an  early  and  constant  resistance  to 
tyranny.  With  what  he  thought  was  great 


164  RANCH      LIFE 

secrecy  and  military  chicanery,  Gage  instructed 
Lord  Percy  to  advance  in  the  night  to  Concord, 
capture  or  destroy  these  munitions  of  war  and 
disperse  the  local  militia.  But  the  patriot  war- 
riors anticipating  such  an  advance,  found  means, 
through  Paul  Revere  and  William  Davis,  to  notify 
Samuel  Adams  and  John  Hancock,  who  had  previ- 
ously gone  to  Lexington  from  Boston,  of  the  time 
of  the  advance.  They  informed  the  settlers  every 
where  along  the  route,  and  Captain  Parker's  pres- 
ence with  his  company  of  minute  men  on  the  Lex- 
ington common  in  the  early  morning  of  April  19, 
to  meet  the  advance  British  troops,  was  the  first 
actual  organized  resistance  to  the  British  red 
coats  in  battle  array  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 
The  historian,  George  Bancroft,  says,  "The  last 
stars  were  vanishing  from  night  when  the  fore- 
most party  led  by  Pitcairn,  a  major  of  marines, 
was  discovered  advancing  quickly  and  in  silence." 
The  drums  of  the  patriots  sounded  the  alarm  and 
about  sixty  of  those  who  had  previously  been  in 
line  again  rallied  and  formed  across  the  common. 
Major  Pitcairn,  riding  in  front  of  his  troops, 
came  within  a  few  rods  of  the  patriot  line,  and 
loudly  and  excitedly  calling  them  rebels,  ordered 
them  to  lay  down  their  arms  and  disperse.  But, 
seeing  they  did  not  do  so,  drew  his  pistol  and 
fired  the  first  shot,  giving  the  command  at  the 
same  time  to  his  own  troops  to  fire.  Captain  Par- 
ker ordered  his  men  to  disperse.  Some  of  them 


BATTLE      OF     LEXINGTON  165 

in  falling  back  fired  their  pieces  at  the  British  but 
did  no  damage.  There  being  eight  hundred 
troops  under  Pitcairn,  the  sixty  minute  men  were 
too  few  to  resist.  It  may  have  occurred  to  the 
British  officer  that  this  triumph  ended  the  rebel- 
lion; but  by  this  timely  retreat  many  lives  were 
saved.  Later  in  the  day  Parker's  men  inflicted  on 
Pitcairn's  retreating  forces  very  great  disaster. 

The  following  minute  men  were  killed  by  Pit- 
cairn's  soldiers  in  the  first  encounter :  James  Par- 
ker, Isaac  Muzzey,  Robert  Munroe,  Asahel  Porter, 
Jonathan  Harrington,  Jr.,  Caleb  Harrington, 
Samuel  Hadley  and  John  Brown.  Seven  of  the 
men  of  Lexington  and  one  of  Woburn  were  killed 
and  nine  wounded.  The  killed  and  wounded  to- 
gether constituted  about  one-fourth  of  the  minute 
men  in  line  at  the  time  of  the  firing.  At  one  end  of 
this  line  they  had  stood,  the  patriot  dead  were  bur- 
ied and  the  line  is  distinctly  marked  by  a  monu- 
ment and  markers.  Edward  Everett,  in  his  oration 
at  the  dedication  of  this  monument  said,  "Where 
should  a  soldier  lie  but  where  he  fell?"  Many  of 
the  original  houses  that  surrounded  the  common 
at  the  time  of  the  battle  are  still  preserved  with 
the  bullet  holes  still  in  them.  Metal  plates  at- 
tached to  the  front  of  certain  houses  recite  what 
occurred. 

These  companions  lingered  long  in  and  about 
the  historic  spot  and  could  hardly  realize  that  a 
hundred  and  fourteen  years  had  passed,  during 


166  RANCHLIFE 

which  a  great  nation  of  free  people,  whose  nascent 
independence  from  England  had  here  its  birth, 
had  grown,  not  in  and  around  this  first  battlefield, 
but  so  far  away  as  to  leave  it  practically  in  the 
same  primitive  condition  in  which  it  existed  in 
1775.  For  this  village  today  is  nothing  but  the 
embodiment  of  a  sentiment — resistance  to  tyran- 
ny is  the  only  hope  of  a  free  people  and  here  it 
was  begun  on  the  western  continent.  There  was 
nothing  spectacular  about  this  first  battle  for 
American  freedom;  these  men  of  Lexington  were 
simple  in  life  and  manner;  they  were  silent  and 
earnest.  They  recognized  their  allegiance  to  Great 
Britain  and  this  made  them  hesitate  to  fire  upon 
the  King's  troops.  It  is  a  wonder,  when  Major  Pit- 
cairn  called  them  rebels  and  commanded  them  to 
disperse,  that  some  of  them  did  not  do  so.  But  the 
true  spirit  of  resistance  to  injustice  and  wrong 
brought  them  together  again  late  in  the  day.  Had 
they  been  disciplined  and  properly  commanded  it 
is  doubtful  if  the  eight  hundred  British  soldiers 
would  have  marched  any  further  toward  Concord 
where  they  did  arrive  about  seven  o'clock  the  same 
morning. 

On  this  one  hundred  and  thirty-fourth  year 
since  the  battle  of  Lexington  it  is  not  necessary  to 
follow  them  in  detail.  But  "pride  goes  before  a 
fall  and  a  haughty  spirit  before  destruction." 
They  were  met  at  Concord  by  a  larger  number  of 
provincial  militia  than  they  had  met  at  Lexing- 


BATTLE      OF     LEXINGTON  167 

ton  and  retreated  the  way  they  came.  It  is  a  mat- 
ter of  history  that  the  patriots,  by  abandoning  all 
order  of  battle  and  each  acting  almost  alone,  killed 
and  wounded  from  the  woods  on  the  sides  of  the 
road  during  this  retreat,  a  large  number  of  Lord 
Percy's  forces.  On  the  retreat  of  the  British  from 
Concord  back  to  Boston  closely  pursued  by  the 
American  militia,  scarce  ten  of  the  Americans 
were  seen  together ;  yet  to  the  British  the  wooded 
hills  and  valleys  seemed  to  swarm  with  them. 
They  were  fine  marksmen  and  did  splendid  exe- 
cution on  the  conspicuous  and  exhausted  red  coats. 
At  a  certain  point  between  Concord  and  Lexing- 
ton the  Lexington  minute  men,  still  under  the  com- 
mand of  Captain  John  Parker,  renewed  the  fight. 
The  old  couplet  says, 

"He  who  fights  and  runs  away, 
Will  live  to  fight  another  day." 

But  here,  in  the  beginning  of  the  struggle  for 
freedom,  they  lived  to  fight,  most  effectually  the 
same  day.  Major  Pitcairn  was  later  killed  in  the 
battle  of  Bunker  Hill. 

The  day  preceding  the  battle  of  Lexington 
very  few  thought  there  would  be  any  shedding  of 
blood.  The  night  after  that  battle  Boston  was 
closely  beleaguered  by  the  Americans;  the  troops 
of  England  being  inside  of  the  city  limits.  The 
patriot  troops  that  now  besieged  Boston  had  hur- 
ried in  from  the  surrounding  country  all  through 


168  RANCHLIFE 

the  night  after  the  battle  of  Lexington.  The  loss 
of  the  Americans  on  that  day  was  forty-nine 
killed,  thirty-four  wounded  and  five  missing.  That 
of  the  English  was  two  hundred  and  seventy-three 
killed,  wounded  and  missing. 

The  talk  of  Edward  Everett  Hale  at  this  an- 
niversary of  the  battle  was  exceedingly  interest- 
ing. It  was  particularly  directed  to  the  school 
children  who  were  present  in  great  numbers.  As 
a  specimen  of  the  manner  in  which  the  people  of 
New  England,  and  especially  Boston,  have  pre- 
served in  both  tradition  and  print  the  minute  his- 
tory of  every  event  in  their  lives,  it  was  fine.  This, 
in  contrast  with  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  for 
instance,  is  what  has  given  Boston  its  primacy  in 
the  early  history  of  the  country.  It  is  the  litera- 
ture of  New  England  that  gives  distinction  and 
historical  perspective  to  its  people  far  in  excess  of 
other  parts  of  the  union. 

Doctor  Hale  told  of  the  important  events  in 
the  battle  of  Lexington  with  which  he  seemed 
perfectly  familiar,  and  then  impressed  on  the 
minds  of  the  children  that  to  them  was  intrusted 
the  task  of  further  investigation  and  the  handing 
down  to  future  generations  those  traditions  yet 
uncrystallized  in  print.  A  few  of  his  peculiar 
statements  show  how  colored  may  become  some 
historical  facts  by  repetition  even  in  the  imagi- 
nation of  so  learned  a  doctor.  He  said  that  when 
Lord  Percy's  main  body  of  troops  had  crossed  the 


BATTLE      OF      LEXINGTON  169 

neck  toward  Lexington  it  was  followed  by  the 
baggage  train.  A  colored  man,  seeing  that  this 
train  was  unguarded,  rallied  some  patriots  and 
captured  it.  "Now,"  said  he,  "I  want  to  impress 
on  your  minds  that  this  was  done  by  a  colored 
man."  It  was  not  the  habit  of  the  negro  to  per- 
form military  feats  and  especially  so  complex  and 
daring  one  as  this ;  that  race  is  noted  for  its  want 
of  martial  spirit.  When  a  history  of  the  siege  of 
Boston  was  examined  with  reference  to  this  cap- 
ture, the  hero  of  it  turned  out  to  be  a  half  blood 
Indian.  This  made  the  story  more  probable,  for 
both  the  white  and  the  Indian  races  are  beligerent 
in  temperament.  Doctor  Hale  further  remarked 
that  it  was  well  known  just  where  on  Boston  com- 
mon Lord  Percy's  troops  were  camped  and  that 
any  one  could  at  that  time  distinguish  the  place 
of  the  camp,  by  the  difference  in  the  color  of 
the  grass  where  the  tents  were  pitched,  from  the 
contiguous  grass.  This  statement  seemed  very 
far  fetched  after  one  hundred  and  fourteen  years. 
At  least  these  companions  could  discover  no  such 
distinction  in  the  grass  on  Boston  common.  It 
takes  the  artistic  New  England  eye  to  determine 
such  shades  of  difference. 

Doctor  Kale's  remarks  were  followed  by  those 
of  an  aged  gentleman  named  Brown,  who  said  his 
father  stood  in  the  line  under  Captain  Parker  on 
Lexington  common.  His  father  had  often  talked 
to  him  about  the  battle,  and  claimed  to  have  fired 


170  RANCHLIPE 

the  last  shot  at  the  time  of  the  retreat  of  the  min- 
ute men.  This  was  very  interesting.  It  brought 
the  reality  of  the  battle  more  nearly  to  mind  than 
anything  else  heard  or  seen.  That  the  son  of  one 
of  the  participants  should  live  to  tell  such  a  fact 
a  hundred  and  fourteen  years  after  this  battle, 
was  a  remarkable  instance  that  time  is  not  a  line 
stretching  indefinitely  into  the  past,  but  merely 
our  consciousness  of  changes  in  phenomena.  In 
this  instance,  the  term,  "one  hundred  and  four- 
teen years,"  means  a  battle  for  human  rights,  a 
soldier  in  that  battle  and  his  son  relating  to  an 
audience  on  the  site  of  the  battle,  the  pride  that 
swelled  his  heart  because  he  was  one  link  in  that 
chain  of  moving  phenomena.  The  current  concep- 
tion of  time  is  thus  annihilated. 

So  far,  mere  events  of  the  beginning  of  new 
era  in  the  world's  political  sociology  have  been 
recited.  This  battle  was  the  beginning  of  an  age 
of  transition  from  monarchy  and  oppression  to 
freedom  for  the  common  people.  As  usual  in  all 
such  struggles  a  large  number  of  Americans 
argued  with  much  plausibility  for  compromise 
with  King  George  III  and  many  of  them,  called 
Tories,  remained  loyal  to  England.  At  the  be- 
ginning of  our  Civil  War,  similar  efforts  to  com- 
promise were  made.  A  compromise  with  the  Con- 
federates was  at  one  time  impending,  by  which 
slavery  would  have  been  continued.  Fortunately, 
however,  all  efforts  of  that  kind,  both  in  the  Rev- 


BATTLE      OF     LEXINGTON  171 

olution  and  in  the  Civil  War  failed.  Franklin  had 
been  sent  to  London  as  a  diplomat  to  try  to  settle 
the  points  at  issue  between  England  and  the  Colo- 
nies. He  was  the  agent  of  Pennsylvania,  Massa- 
chusetts, New  Jersey  and  Georgia.  Fortunately 
he  was  very  wise  and  would  not  compromise  prin- 
ciple. Lord  Chatham  was  our  friend,  but  he  was 
not  in  the  cabinet.  How  could  so  enlightened  a 
statesman  become  the  minister  to  King  George 
III?  of  whom  Buckle  says,  "Without  knowledge, 
without  taste,  without  even  a  glimpse  of  one  of 
the  sciences,  or  a  feeling  for  one  of  the  fine  arts ; 
education  had  done  nothing  to  enlarge  a  mind 
which  nature  had  more  than  unusually  contract- 
ed.'* So  devoid  was  he  of  moral  sense  that  he  per- 
sonally encouraged  the  slave  trade  with  the  col- 
onies. This  was  the  grandfather  of  so  humane 
and  enlightened  a  queen  as  Victoria.  Chatham, 
however,  would  not  concede  but  what  the  king  had 
the  legal  right  to  hold  his  troops  in  the  colonies. 
But  Franklin  declared  to  him,  "No  accommoda- 
tion can  properly  be  entered  into  by  the  Ameri- 
cans while  the  bayonet  is  at  their  breasts.  To 
have  an  agreement  binding,  all  force  must  be 
withdrawn."  Chatham,  after  the  act  to  regulate 
Massachusetts  had  passed  the  house  of  commons, 
addressed  the  house  of  Lords  against  the  measure, 
and  in  our  behalf,  in  the  finest  logic  and  rhetoric. 
After  conducting  Franklin  to  a  conspicuous  seat  in 
view  of  the  whole  house,  with  prophetic  zeal  he 


172  RANCHLIFE 

said,  "The  first  drop  of  blood  shed  in  civil  and  un- 
natural war  will  make  a  wound  that  years,  per- 
haps ages,  may  not  heal." 

We  now  know,  one  hundred  and  thirty-four 
years  after  the  first  blood  at  Lexington,  that  this 
prophecy  is  true.  The  house  of  Lords  voted  down 
Lord  Chatham's  plan  by  a  large  majority,  and 
passed  the  act  as  it  came  from  the  other  house.  It 
was  well  for  America  that  it  did  so.  It  was  bet- 
ter, infinitely  better,  for  the  people  to  fight  out 
their  complete  independence,  than  to  compromise 
upon  remaining  a  colony  in  subjection  to  a  foreign 
power,  especially  one  whose  only  object  was  to  ex- 
ploit the  colony  for  England's  pecuniary  benefit. 
The  sacrifice  in  that  struggle  was  large  and  de- 
plorable; but  such  questions,  thus  far  in  the 
world's  evolution,  cannot  be  settled  right  without 
war.  An  international  peace  conference  is  still  a 
future  hope.  A  compromise  would  simply  have 
postponed  the  struggle  to  a  later  and  perhaps 
more  hopeless  date. 

There  has  been  an  ocean  of  sentiment  ex- 
pressed upon  this  battle.  George  Bancroft  in  his 
history  of  the  United  States,  says,  referring  to  the 
slain  minute  men  on  Lexington  common:  "These 
are  the  village  heroes,  who  were  more  than  of 
noble  blood,  proving  by  their  spirit  that  they  were 
of  a  race  divine. 

"*  *  *  The  light  that  led  them  on  was  com- 
bined of  rays  from  the  whole  history  of  the  race. 


BATTLE      OF     LEXINGTON  173 

*  *  *  from  the  heroes  and  sages  of  republican 
Greece  and  Rome ;  *  *  *  from  the  customs  of 
the  Germans  transmitted  out  of  the  forests  to  the 
councils  of  Saxon  England;  from  the  burning 
faith  and  courage  of  Martin  Luther;  *  * 
from  the  avenging  fierceness  of  the  Puritans,  who 
dashed  the  mitre  on  the  ruins  of  the  throne ;  from 
the  bold  dissent  and  creative  self-assertion  of  the 
earliest  emigrants  to  Massachusetts;  *  *  * 
from  the  cloud  of  witnesses  of  all  ages,  to  the  real- 
ity and  rightfulness  of  human  freedom." 

The  immediate  cause  of  the  battle  of  Lexing- 
ton has  already  been  referred  to.  What  of  its  re- 
mote cause  and  its  astounding  effect?  Its  cause 
might  really  be  traced  back  scientifically  to  the 
very  beginning  of  things  in  the  nebulae  from 
which  our  solar  system  has  evolved.  For  the 
primal  principle  of  the  matter  of  that  nebula  was 
condensation  in  such  method  as  to  finally  produce 
the  harmony  of  that  system  as  we  now  see  it,  in- 
cluding life  on  the  earth,  and  perhaps  on  the  other 
planets.  That  condensation,  in  the  life  of  man- 
kind, simply  means  the  coming  together  of  like 
units,  and  the  repulsion  of  unlike  ones.  It  finally 
means  that  the  individuals  who  think  alike  come 
together  in  a  solid  body,  with  a  single  purpose,  as 
the  pilgrims  of  England  did.  Some  of  these  fled 
to  Holland,  and  then  on  the  Mayflower  to  the 
shores  of  the  new  world.  These  pilgrims  belonged 
to  the  Roundheads  and  Puritans  of  England,  who, 


174  RANCHLIPE 

under  Cromwell,  resisted  King  Charles  the  First. 
Those,  who  remained  in  England,  experienced 
their  first  battles  for  liberty  at  Naseby  and  Pres- 
ton. The  ancestors  of  these  Puritans  had  fought 
under  Cromwell  for  the  principle  of  the  right  of 
taxation  by  the  people  only,  a  hundred  years  be- 
fore ;  it  was  natural  for  their  descendants  at  Lex- 
ington to  do  the  same  thing.  It  was  just  as 
natural  for  George  III  and  his  adherents  to  oppose 
this  principle  in  America  as  it  was  for  Charles  I 
and  his  adherents  to  oppose  it  in  1640.  Crom- 
well's war  transferred  the  power  of  the  king  to 
the  parliament.  But  the  revolution  in  this  coun- 
try begun  at  Lexington  went  a  long  step  further 
in  abolishing  entirely  the  power  and  the  person 
of  the  king  and  establishing  the  freedom  of  re- 
ligion from  state  interference. 

The  rapidity  with  which  the  incoherency  and 
irresolution  of  the  commencement  at  Lexington 
strengthened  into  coherent  purpose  and  broad- 
ened ideas  of  what  was  possible  and  best,  is  as- 
tonishing. The  first  ideas  expressed  after  the 
battle  were,  that  the  king  would  modify  his  de- 
mands and  withdraw  the  troops.  But  as  the  war 
continued  and  spread,  the  very  next  year,  separa- 
tion was  the  object  then  aimed  at,  and  the  declar- 
ation of  such  sentiment  embodied  in  the  great 
heart  cry  of  the  common  people  everywhere  "All 
men  are  created  equal." 

The  principle  established  by  the  whole  his- 


BATTLE      OF     LEXINGTON  175 

tory  of  the  political  struggle  of  the  colonies  from 
1748  to  the  beginning  of  the  War  of  the  Revolution 
is  "that  the  colonies  would  not  consent  to  unite 
while  that  unity  would  place  its  concentrated  ef- 
fort under  the  arbitrary  control  of  either  the  king 
or  parliament."  They  would  unite  for  themselves, 
but  not  for  a  power  independent  of  themselves. 
Even  representation,  if  allowed,  would  have  been 
so  feeble  in  parliament,  that  the  compact  English 
members,  with  legislative  aims  so  radically  op- 
posed to  those  of  America,  would  still  have  given 
the  colonies,  as  it  has  been  with  Ireland,  no  real 
relief.  Nothing  but  independence  could  serve  any 
lasting  good.  As  Mr.  Lincoln  said,  in  his  famous 
Gettysburg  address,  the  struggle  begun  at  Lexing- 
ton "brought  forth  on  this  continent  a  new  nation 
conceived  in  liberty  and  dedicated  to  the  proposi- 
tion that  all  men  are  equal."  It  has  not  only  done 
that,  it  has  reacted  on  the  old  world  in  lightening 
the  burdens  of  the  poor  and  lowly  under  mon- 
archy. The  revolution  in  France,  by  the  common 
people  with  the  cry  for  bread,  occurred  only  six 
years  after  the  close  of  ours.  That  commenced  in 
hate  and  revenge,  in  blood  shed  by  the  hands  of 
the  insurgents;  ours  with  the  words  of  Captain 
John  Parker,  "Don't  fire  the  first  shot."  But  the 
French  revolution,  while  failing  at  first,  was  a 
blind  and  unconscious  beginning  which  finally 
culminated  in  a  French  republic  which  has  come 
to  stay.  Buckle  gives  our  "Declaration  of  Inde- 


176  RANCH     LIFE 

pendence"  followed  by  our  successful  struggle  in 
war  as  one  of  the  proximate  causes  of  the  French 
revolution.  Everybody  in  France  read  our 
Declaration  of  Independence,  and  the  words  pro- 
duced great  impressions  on  the  brains  of  the 
French  people,  who  at  that  time  had  become  great- 
ly enlightened  in  physical  science.  All  the  com- 
mon people  of  Europe  are  now  in  unrest  and  re- 
sistence.  They  are  gradually  learning  the  ab- 
surdity of  being  ruled  by  irresponsible  kings.  The 
sun  of  liberty  that  shed  its  morning  rays  upon 
Lexington  is  rising  in  Europe's  horizon,  and  will 
carry  to  the  aroused  hearts  and  intellects  of  its 
people  the  words  of  our  Declaration  as  an  eternal 
principle  of  human  society,  "All  men  are  created 
equal."  Even  Turkey  and  Persia  are  getting  into 
the  line  of  constitutional  government.  The  Em- 
peror William  Second  has  been  disciplined  by  the 
Reichstag.  The  remote  causes  of  all  these  move- 
ments could  be  traced  parallel  with  the  intellectual . 
advances  of  the  common  people,  especially  in  the 
broadening  power  of  the  knowledge  of  physical 
laws,  particularly  of  biology  and  psychology.  For 
when  men  come  to  see  that  all  men  are  alike  in 
natural  origin  and  are  subject  to  the  same  natural 
infirmities — then  mere  decorations  of  ribands, 
tinselry  and  coats  of  arms  will  not  deter  them 
from  transforming  such  ideas  into  physical  force. 
While  such  great  effects  followed  from  our 
Revolutionary  War  let  us  recognize  its  concrete 


BATTLE      OF     LEXINGTON  177 

limitations.  We  are  freed  from  the  rule  of  an  ar- 
bitrary king  across  the  ocean,  and  an  arrogant 
British  parliament.  We  were  left  to  form  for  our 
selves  a  government  according  to  our  own  ideas. 
We  did  so,  and  have  grown  into  a  republic  large  in 
territory,  numbers  and  wealth.  But  it  has  not 
brought  the  millenium.  Men  were  not  all  made 
moral  and  altruistic  by  it.  The  banishment  of 
Roger  Williams,  the  awful  practice  of  witchcraft 
prior  to  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  make  us  agree 
with  Phillip  Brooks,  who  was  "glad  that  the  Puri- 
tans lived  in  the  days  of  yore,  and  equally  glad 
that  they  do  not  live  now."  But  evils  of  the  same 
kind  exist  now  in  our  republic  and  some  of  them 
are  caused  by  the  necessity  that  existed  at  the 
formation  of  our  national  constitution  to  form 
some  compromises.  These  compromises  brought 
on  the  Civil  war  and  also  the  inequality  in  the 
proper  distribution  of  industrial  wealth.  But  the 
people  have  advanced  in  their  ideas  of  govern- 
ment steadily  since  1789,  and  when  the  time  shall 
arrive  that  our  legislative  enactments  and  the  pro- 
ceedings of  our  courts  shall  no  longer  be  copied 
from  those  of  England,  a  more  perfect  equality 
of  the  people  will  gradually  result. 


VIRGINIA  AND  MASSACHUSETTS 


Delivered  before  the  Southern  Colorado  Pio- 
neer Association ;  to  the  Pueblo  Post  G.  A.  R.  and 
other  audiences,  including  the  Soldiers  Home,  at 
Monte  Vista,  Colorado. 

The  present-day  civilized  human  being  has  a 
periodical  longing  for  change  of  place.  He  will 
undergo  the  most  disagreeable  discomforts  in 
order  to  gratify  a  desire  for  what  has  now  evolved 
into  an  annual  outing.  When  this  fever  seizes 
one  he  will  turn  his  back  upon  all  home  comforts, 
however  luxurious,  such  as  beautiful  rooms,  a 
library  full  of  interesting  books,  a  table  loaded 
with  the  most  appetizing  viands,  served  just  as 
the  taste  craves;  upon  leisure  and  privacy;  the 
society  of  life  long  friends;  in  short,  upon  all  the 
accumulations  of  a  life  time,  which  go  to  make  his 
life  ideal;  and  for  what?  Just  for  a  change.  In 
order  to  accomplish  the  desired  change,  he  rides 
upon  a  railroad  train  for  three  or  four  days,  in 
a  hot,  close,  dusty  car,  filled  with  people,  who  are 
utter  strangers,  with  whom  he  does  not  care  to 
mingle ;  sleeps  in  a  narrow,  stuffy  couch,  in  which 
a  hundred  others  may  have  slept,  in  the  same 


VIRGINIA  179 

blankets;  eats  his  meals  in  a  dining  car,  of  food 
that  he  cannot  digest,  runs  the  risk  of  a  train 
wreck;  and  finally  lands  at  an  unseasonable  hour 
at  his  destination,  tired,  often  half  sick,  to  take 
any  room  he  can  get  at  a  hotel;  which  room  may 
be  some  better  than  the  close  quarters  of  a  sleep- 
ing car;  but  whose  meals  are  largely  repetitions 
of  those  of  a  dining  car.  He  does  all  this  in  order 
to  get  away  from  the  dull  routine  of  business, 
and  the  too  oft  repeated  familiar  objects  at  home. 
But  the  motion  of  the  train,  and  the  flow  of  new 
scenery,  framed  in  the  car  window,  as  it  flies 
across  the  continent,  at  the  rate  of  forty  or  fifty 
miles  an  hour,  is  a  welcome  diversion  from  the 
monotony  of  the  few  blocks  of  dull  street,  that 
separate  his  residence  from  his  business,  at  home. 
But  when  he  arrives  at  his  destination,  he  breathes 
a  new  atmosphere,  filled  perhaps  with  the  salt  of 
the  ocean,  which  has  saturated  the  air  by  evapora- 
tion from  wide  expanse  of  waters;  which  also 
fascinates  his  vision  with  an  unbounded  ex- 
panse of  the  sea.  Although  he  has  left  at  home 
purer  air,  bluer,  and  more  infinite  skies, 
brighter  sunshine,  the  grandeur  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  and  the  finer  comforts  of  a  home, 
and  troops  of  friends,  he  still  enjoys  what 
otherwise  would  be  the  inferior  attractions  of  his 
sought-for  environment,  because  it  is  a  change. 
What  is  the  fundamental  and  scientific  reason  of 
this  anomaly?  Why  does  man  desire  to  leave  the 


180  RANCH     LIFE 

location  of  the  better  immediate  environment  for 
the  inferior  attractions  of  some  far  away,  and 
strange  surroundings?  It  is  because  of  the  pe- 
culiar formation  of  his  brain  and  nervous  system. 
His  life  and  health  depend  entirely  upon  the  man- 
ner his  nervous  system  responds  to  his  environ- 
ment. Sensations  are  converted  into  thought  and 
psychical  effects  by  the  matter  of  the  nerves  them- 
selves, in  forming  upon  the  cortex  of  the  brain 
the  images  of  the  objects  making  the  sensations. 
These  nerves  become  tired,  like  the  muscles  of  the 
body,  by  the  activity  and  consequent  exhaustion  of 
molecular  motion.  The  molecules  become  exhaust- 
ed by  reason  of  their  great  energy;  they  decay, 
are  carried  away  by  the  venous  flow  of  blood,  and 
are  being  constantly  renewed  by  the  inflow  of 
arterial  blood.  Now,  it  is  discovered,  that  if  the 
same  sensations  are  repeated  too  often,  the  nerve 
molecules  cease  to  construct  true  images  of  ob- 
jectivity or,  at  least,  respond  very  feebly.  The  re- 
sult is  lassitude  of  the  body,  and  a  corresponding 
enfeeblement  of  the  psychical  apparatus,  whose 
activities  supply  the  effects  which  we  are  in  the 
habit  of  calling  the  mind.  When  such  conditions 
occur,  they  are  the  elements  which  constitute  the 
desire  for  a  change  of  sensations  by  transferring 
the  body  to  new  environment.  The  more  radical 
the  change  the  quicker  and  more  vivid  is  the  re- 
sponse of  the  molecular,  or  rather  the  metabolic 
recovery,  of  the  nervous  system.  This  is  the 


VIRGINIA  181 

psychology  of  an  annual  outing.  And  this  is  the 
true  reason  why  with  all  its  inconveniences  a  trip 
from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Atlantic  coast  is 
beneficial  to  the  physical  and  mental  being. 

In  planning  such  a  trip,  in  the  month  of  April 
it  is  desirable  to  strike  the  coast  at  a  point  where 
the  temperature  is  neither  too  hot  nor  too  cold, 
and  then  to  proceed  north,  as  the  season  advances, 
in  a  way,  to  enjoy  about  the  same  mildness.  In 
examining  the  map  it  seemed  that  Norfolk,  Va., 
offered  such  conditions,  and  such  proved  to  be  the 
case.  It  is  a  beautiful  city  of  67,000  inhabitants, 
the  second  largest  in  the  state,  and  the  first  in 
commerce,  but  not  in  manufacturing  and  trade. 
It  is  located,  not  directly  upon  the  shore  of  the  At- 
lantic Ocean,  but  upon  an  inlet,  which  opens  out 
into  a  very  much  larger  body  of  water,  called 
Hampton  Roads.  This  latter  is  the  submerged 
mouth  of  the  James  river,  and  is  twelve  miles 
wide  from  Newport  News  to  Norfolk.  It  is  con- 
tinuous with  Chesapeake  bay  on  the  east  of  it, 
which  at  that  point  is  really  the  ocean.  Histori- 
cally, Norfolk,  and  vicinity,  are  most  ancient  and 
interesting.  Here,  at  Cape  Henry,  twenty  miles 
east  of  Norfolk,  the  point  of  land  on  the  south 
side  of  the  junction  of  Chesapeake  bay  and  Hamp- 
ton Roads,  in  April,  1607,  the  English  colony,  of 
which  Captain  John  Smith  was  a  member,  first 
landed.  After  some  lingering  about  the  adjacent 
waters,  one  location  of  which  was  called  by  them 


182  RANCHLIFE 

Point  Comfort,  they  soon  afterwards  proceeded 
up  the  James  River,  and  located  on  James  Island, 
calling  their  village  Jamestown.  The  names  were 
given  because  the  King  of  England  at  that  time 
was  James  I,  who  claimed  ownership  of  all  the 
land.  In  fact,  nearly  all  the  names  in  that  region 
of  places,  counties,  towns  and  cities  are  those  of 
the  royal  family  then  reigning,  or  dictated  by  it. 
The  repetition  in  the  English  Colonies  of  America, 
of  names  already  used  for  other  places  was  de- 
cidedly unfortunate.  The  western  states  did  not 
generally  make  that  mistake.  The  original  names 
of  Ohio,  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  Iowa  and  Minnesota 
are  so  much  better  than  New  York  and  New  Jer- 
sey. The  first  river  flowing  nearly  parallel  with 
the  James,  on  the  north,  is  the  York.  The  two  riv- 
ers form  a  peninsula,  which  at  Williamsburg  is 
only  a  few  miles  wide.  On  the  York  river  is  lo- 
cated the  village  of  Yorktown  where  Cornwallis 
surrendered  to  General  Washington  in  1781.  Still 
further  north  runs  the  Rappahannock  river, 
where  Fredericksburg  is  located.  Up  the  James 
river  about  ninety  miles  from  Norfolk  stands 
Richmond,  the  capital  of  Virginia,  with  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand  inhabitants. 
Its  most  notable  history  covers  its  existence 
as  the  capital  of  the  Southern  Confederacy. 
On  the  north  side  of  Hampton  Roads  lie  Old  Point 
Comfort  and  Fortress  Monroe  of  great  import- 
ance in  the  army  and  naval  history  of  this  coun- 


VIRGINIA  183 

try.  Close  by  Old  Point  is  the  Hampton  Colored 
School  doing  such  an  important  work  in  the  in- 
dustrial education  of  negro  youths.  It  was  here 
that  Booker  Washington  was  graduated.  Twenty 
miles  south  of  Norfolk  are  the  Dismal  Swamp  and 
Drummond  Lake,  objects  of  much  poetry  and 
local  superstition. 

From  these  facts  it  will  be  seen  how  exceed- 
ingly interesting  it  is  for  a  tourist  to  spend  a 
month  in  the  city  of  Norfolk  taking  excursions  to 
the  various  accessible  points  of  historical  import- 
ance. The  United  States  maintains  a  Navy  Yard 
at  Portsmouth,  just  across  the  harbor  of  Norfolk. 
Three  battle  ships  anchored  there  attracted  much 
attention.  Nearly  half  of  the  population  of  Nor- 
folk is  negro,  making  a  study  of  that  race  easy  and 
interesting.  These  negroes  appeared  to  be  the  re- 
liable laborers  in  the  commerce  and  industries  of 
the  region.  Many  of  that  race  have  become  the 
owners  of  farms  on  the  peninsula,  and  while  those 
which  fell  under  observation  were  not  very  pro- 
ductive, being  the  old  worn  out  soil  of  slave  times, 
yet  the  sense  of  possession,  by  right  of  purchase, 
gives  their  owners  great  satisfaction,  and  inde- 
pendence, and  a  living,  without  being  subject  to 
the  beck  and  call  of  an  employer.  The  negroes 
both  in  the  city  and  country  appeared  to  be  con- 
tented and  happy,  living  their  lives  quietly,  with 
no  unusual  demonstration,  except  in  the  imagina- 
tion of  some  of  the  more  fastidious  whites.  They 


184  RANCHLIPE 

were  apparently  the  most  valuable  labor  asset  of 
that  region,  as  they  undoubtedly  are  of  the  whole 
South.  Considering  their  late  origin  in  darkest 
Africa,  and  that  less  than  fifty  years  ago  they 
were,  as  a  race  here,  in  hopeless  slavery,  wherein, 
it  was  a  crime  to  teach  them  to  read,  and  without 
any  lawful  right  to  accumulate  property;  their 
present  status,  as  to  good  common  sense,  educa- 
tion, and  wealth,  is  a  marvelous  advancement. 
More  development  of  brain  will  come  to  them,  as 
they  are  thrown  more  and  more  upon  their  own 
efforts,  in  their  hard  struggle  for  existence.  The 
added  power  which  will  come  to  them,  as  the 
Hampton  and  Tuskegee  type  of  schools  is  multi- 
plied, will  greatly  enlarge  their  opportunities  for 
a  more  scientific  industrialism.  In  time,  on  ac- 
count of  this  development,  no  one  will  think  of 
denying  them,  by  law,  the  right  of  the  voting  fran- 
chise. 

Williamsburgh  is  a  very  old  town.  It  was  the 
first  capital  of  Virginia.  The  original  settlers  at 
Jamestown,  finding  their  first  location  an  un- 
healthy one,  finally  removed  to  this  point.  It 
was  here  that  Patrick  Henry  raised  his  eloquent 
voice  for  freedom  from  English  tyranny.  William 
Wirt  was  once  a  resident.  Here  is  located  William 
and  Mary  college,  established  in  1693,  from  which 
so  many  of  the  early  patriots  were  graduated. 
Thomas  Jefferson  became  a  student  here  in  1760 
and  after  graduating  practiced  law  in  Williams- 


VIRGINIA  186 

burgh.  It  is  said  that  at  first  the  officers  and 
teachers  of  the  college  were  sent  by  royalty  from 
England  and  they  were  expected  to  make  Episco- 
palians of  the  Indians ;  the  whites  generally  being 
already  of  that  faith.  But  Dr.  Small,  the  presi- 
dent in  1760  was  quasi-skeptic  and  certainly 
Thomas  Jefferson  was  far  from  orthodox.  At  the 
close  of  a  long  life  of  most  eminent  usefulness 
Jefferson  considered  it  his  most  important  work 
that  he  was  the  author  of  the  Virginia  law  giving 
the  people  religious  freedom.  That  college  still 
flourishes  as  a  school,  though  compared  with  Har- 
vard, its  contemporary,  which  was  established  in 
1636,  it  is  very  small.  Why  is  it  not  as  great  as 
Harvard  and  why  is  the  population  around  the 
mgnificent  harbors  of  Hampton  Roads  not  greater 
than  around  the  lesser  waters  of  New  York  Har- 
bor? The  climate  is  more  equable,  and  every 
feature  seems  more  propitious  than  those  of  New 
England  or  New  York.  The  only  answer  possi- 
ble is,  that  the  inherited  reactionary  spirit  of 
slavery  still  hangs  like  a  funeral  pall  upon  that 
beautiful  region.  People  both  native  and  foreign 
who  are  seeking  a  change  of  residence  will  not  go 
into  the  social  atmosphere  of  reaction  and  exclu- 
sion. 

From  Williamsburgh  to  Yorktown  is  a  delight- 
ful drive  of  twelve  miles  along  primitive  dirt 
roads,  bordered  by  a  profusion  of  fragrant  honey 
suckle  and  the  finest  natural  growth  of  beautiful 


186  RANCH      LIFE 

woods.  Within  a  short  distance  of  Williamsburgh 
the  Confederate  works  thrown  up  by  Magruder  in 
1862  are  plainly  visible,  as  are  similar  works  at 
Yorktown,  where  McClellan's  army  halted  for 
several  days,  Magruder's  inferior  Confederate 
forces,  at  the  beginning  of  the  Peninsula  cam- 
paign holding  the  line  in  front  of  the  Union  army. 
Washington's  little  army  approached  Yorktown  in 
1781  by  way  of  Williamsburgh  in  his  march 
against  Cornwallis  and  a  place  on  the  road  where 
Washington's  army  rested  and  lunched,  was 
pointed  out.  A  very  beautiful  monument  has 
been  erected  at  Yorktown,  by  the  general  govern- 
ment, in  commemoration  of  Cornwallis'  surrender. 
In  a  recent  paper  upon  "Washington  and  Caval- 
ry/' by  Charles  Francis  Adams,  the  following 
words  are  used:  "The  Yorktown  campaign  of 
1781  was  the  one  real  success  to  be  set  down  to 
Washington's  military  account.  Boldly,  as  well 
as  brilliantly  conceived,  and  in  detail  planned,  it 
was  carried  out  with  prescience,  judgment,  skill 
and  energy,  and  crowned  by  complete  success.  A 
fine  design  strategically,  too  much  praise  cannot 
be  awarded  to  its  execution." 

At  Yorktown  the  interesting  old  mansion  of 
General  Nelson,  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence  and  the  governor  of  Virginia  in 
1781,  was  visited.  He  devoted  his  fortune  to  the 
continental  struggle,  and  at  the  siege  of  Yorktown 
trained  an  American  gun  upon  his  own  dwelling, 


VIRGINIA  187 

when  it  was  occcupied  as  headquarters  by  Corn- 
wallis. 

The  distance  from  Williamsburgh  to  Freder- 
icksburg is  not  very  great,  and  on  arriving  here 
the  tourist  will  see  still  existing  evidences  of  the 
struggles  which  occurred  between  the  opposing 
forces  during  the  Civil  War.  McDowell's  Army 
of  the  Rappahannock  came  from  Washington,  D. 
C.,  in  April,  1862,  and  occupied  this  place.  It  was 
the  first  corps  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  Mc- 
Clellan  with  the  rest  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
was  then  on  the  Peninsula,  having  landed  near 
Yorktown,  while  McDowell's  forces  were  sup- 
posed to  be  a  distant  reserve  and  support  to  him, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  a  defense  to  Washington, 
D.  C.  What  a  delightful  contrast  the  appearance 
of  Fredericksburg  presents  now,  compared  with 
that  of  1862.  The  desolation  that  existed  here  in 
April,  1862,  is  practically  indescribable,  and  the 
peaceful,  prosperous,  commercial,  and  industrial 
condition  now  existing  is  in  very  delightful  con- 
trast to  what  it  was  then.  This  contrast  should 
be  a  lesson  among  a  thousand  others  that  war 
should  occur  only  as  a  last  resort;  and  then  only 
for  the  purpose  of  saving  honor,  or  life.  A  short 
walk  brought  the  tourist  to  the  wall  at  the  foot  of 
Mary's  Hill,  where  occurred  such  a  slaughter  of 
Burnside's  forces  on  the  13th  of  December,  1862, 
in  the  great  battle  of  Fredericksburg.  The  Con- 
federate trenches  are  still  visible.  As  the  tourist 


188  RANCHLIFE 

walks  along  these,  on  a  peaceful  sunny  afternoon 
and  sees  only  the  quiet  and  prosperous  city  lying 
stretched  on  the  plain  below,  he  asks  himself 
"why  is  it  so  quiet  and  peaceful  now,  and  in  1862 
so  menacing  and  horrible?"  The  answer  is,  be- 
cause "man's  inhumanity  to  man/'  in  the  form  of 
human  slavery,  in  this  nation,  has  ceased. 

At  both  Norfolk  and  Williamsburgh  meetings 
were  witnessed  of  the  surviving  Confederate  sold- 
iers in  their  war  time  uniforms,  and  carrying 
their  old  flags.  These  flags  were  very  numerous, 
in  their  decoration  of  soldiers'  graves,  on  their 
memorial  day.  Their  orators  habitually  eulogize, 
on  such  occasions,  not  only  their  achievements  in 
battle,  which  is  proper,  but  the  principle  for  which 
they  fought.  Yet,  on  other  occasions,  they  declare 
their  devotion  to  the  Nation's  flag,  and  the  present 
Union.  It  is  undoubtedly  this  duplicity,  together 
with  their  hostile  attitude  towards  the  rights  of 
the  black  race,  which  is  so  unattractive  to  the  im- 
migrant, and  which  turns  "westward  the  star  of 
empire,"  which  otherwise,  would  turn  southward. 
Foreign  immigrants  cannot  understand  state 
rights.  They  know  only  the  national  government, 
and  refuse  to  settle  among  a  people,  who  are  con- 
stantly agitating  such  abtruse  political  questions, 
and  inserting  in  their  laws  the  word  "white." 

Legally,  of  course,  Virginia  is  as  free  a  state 
as  Massachusetts  or  any  of  the  northern  states, 
but  the  blight  of  the  former  condition  is  still  ap- 


VIRGINIA  189 

parent  in  the  character  and  spirit  of  the  people. 
The  old  ideas  of  the  18th  and  first  half  of  the  19th 
century  pervade  the  native  whites.  They  have  no 
scientific  or  philosophic  plan  of  dealing  with  civic 
life.  They  are  reactionaries  and  standpatters. 
How  long  it  will  be  before  this  spirit  will  die  out 
in  the  southern  states  it  is  hard  to  tell.  It  cer- 
tainly will  take  many  generations.  Common 
schools  and  country  newspapers  will  have  to  be 
greatly  increased  in  number.  The  negroes  them- 
selves will  eventually  accomplish  this,  as  they  will 
sometime  own  most  of  the  property  and  the  cap- 
ital, not  acquired  by  northern  immigrants. 

There  is  not  the  least  doubt  but  that  with 
proper  industrial  education  the  efficiency  of  the 
negro  as  a  producer  could  be  increased  many  fold. 
It  is  singular  that  the  southern  whites  do  not  see 
the  immense  advantage  to  the  south  this  process 
would  bring  to  them.  But,  with  the  example  of 
the  Hampton  School  directly  before  them,  they  de- 
clare that  the  negro  should  not  be  educated.  They 
strongly  oppose  woman  and  negro  suffrage — the 
women  themselves  do.  They  oppose  any  measure 
to  elevate  the  negro,  and  frown  upon  any  effort 
to  lift  woman  out  of  that  peculiar  mode  of  thought 
generated  by  slavery  and  rebellion.  The  public 
school  system  in  the  south  is  very  crude,  compared 
with  that  of  the  north.  Booker  Washington  says : 
"Taking  the  southern  states  as  a  whole,  about 
$10.23  per  capita  is  spent  in  educating  the  average 


190  RANCH      LIFE 

white  boy  or  girl,  and  the  sum  of  $2.82  per  capita, 
in  educating  the  average  black  child."  In  Colo- 
rado there  is  spent  $49.26  per  capita  of  average 
attendance  and  $7.02  per  capita  of  total  popula- 
tion— and,  of  course,  this  is  not  far  from  the  aver- 
age in  the  whole  northern  states;  while  the  same 
items  in  Mississippi  are  $10.43  and  $1.49.  Their 
cities  do  not  grow  until  northern  business  men  go 
down,  and  show  them  how  to  beautify  and  enlarge. 
There  would  be  little  real  manufacturing  in  the 
south,  except  for  the  advent  of  capitalists  and  me- 
chanics from  outside  localities,  where  slavery  has 
never  existed.  They  learned  nothing  from  the 
war,  except  to  patiently  submit  to  being  unwilling 
members  of  the  Union.  It  is  frequently  said  that 
some  of  the  old  Confederate  soldiers  are  glad  that 
they  were  defeated  and  that  slavery  was  abol- 
ished. But,  it  appears  as  if  nearly  all  of  them 
regret  their  defeat  and  would  today  re-establish 
slavery,  if  it  were  legal  to  do  so.  They  venerate 
the  Confederate  flag,  publish  Confederate  news- 
papers, and  rear  monuments  to  such  wretches  as 
Wirz  and  others.  They  were  not  satisfied  to  place 
the  statue  of  Lee  in  the  capitol  at  Washington,  in 
the  dress  of  a  citizen  of  the  requblic,  but  in  that 
of  a  Confederate  soldier.  They  teach  their  chil- 
dren in  the  schools  that  the  principles  fought  for 
in  the  Civil  War  by  them  were  eternally  right,  not 
that  slavery  in  itself  was  right,  but  that  the  war 
was  waged  by  them  to  preserve  state  rights 


VIRGINIA  191 

against  federal  encroachment.  They  justify  slav- 
ery on  the  ground  that  the  northern  states  also 
held  slaves  at  one  time,  and  only  abolished  that 
institution  because  it  was  unprofitable.  In  Vir- 
ginia they  say  now  that  Massachusetts  sold  their 
slaves  to  the  south  and  then  made  war  upon  the 
south  to  free  them.  Very  few  slaves  were  ever 
held  in  Massachusetts.  Slavery  died  out  there 
long  before  the  Revolutionary  War,  because  the 
general  sentiment  of  the  people  was  strongly 
against  it.  To  hold  the  Civil  War  contingent  of 
that  state  as  consciously  fighting  in  Virginia,  in 
the  Civil  War,  to  free  the  slaves,  sold  by  their 
forefathers  a  hundred  years  before,  requires  a 
most  wonderful  stretch  of  imagination.  But  when 
Lee  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  Army,  in  1860, 
wrote  letters  condemning  secession  in  strong 
terms,  and  then  in  1861  deserted  the  Union  to  aid 
secession,  there  is  a  short  and  conscious  connec- 
tion between  the  profession  and  the  performance. 
Bancroft,  in  his  history  of  the  United  States, 
says,  that  the  first  expedition  of  an  English  colony 
to  Virginia,  that  of  Jamestown,  consisted  of  one 
hundred  and  five  persons.  Of  these  considerably 
more  than  half  were  so-called  gentlemen,  entirely 
incapable  of  doing  the  hard  labor  of  house  build- 
ing, or  cultivating  the  soil.  He  says  "of  the  one 
hundred  and  five,  on  the  list  of  emigrants,  there 
were  but  twelve  laborers  and  a  very  few  mechan- 
ics." There  were  forty-eight  gentlemen  to  four  car- 


192  RANCH     LIFE 

penters,  and  no  men  with  families.  Contrast 
this  with  the  Pilgrim  Colony,  which  came  on 
the  ship  Mayflower,  without  royal  charter, 
followed  by  the  ill  will  and  frowns  of  King 
James  I.  It  consisted  of  one  hundred  and  two  per- 
sons. Only  forty-one  of  these  were  men,  the  rest 
women  and  children,  the  families  of  the  forty- 
one  men.  They  came  thirteen  years  after  the 
first  colony  of  Jamestown.  There  was  not  in 
the  English  sense,  a  gentleman  among  them.  They 
landed  on  a  bleak  and  barren  coast,  five  hundred 
miles  north  of  the  Jamestown  colony.  Each  man 
built  his  own  house,  and  here  democratic  liberty 
and  independent  Christian  worship  started  into 
being."  Here  also  Thanksgiving  Day  originated 
and  has  been  perpetuated  to  the  present. 

Is  it  not  plausible  that  the  difference  in  the  in- 
stitutions and  character  of  the  men  of  New  Eng- 
land and  those  of  Virginia,  which  developed  and 
widened,  as  the  years  passed  and  which  finally 
culminated  in  the  Civil  War,  should  be  simply  a 
difference  in  the  character  and  temperament  of 
the  two  original  colonies,  and  of  the  subsequent 
immigrants,  attracted  by  these  peculiar  features 
to  the  two  regions.  After  the  beheading  of  Charles 
I,  in  1649,  and  Cromwell's  accession  to  the  ruler- 
ship  of  England,  cavaliers  in  large  numbers  emi- 
grated from  England  to  Virginia.  Being  adher- 
ents of  royalty  and  the  state  church  they  could  not 
come  to  New  England,  where  they  would  have 


VIRGINIA  193 

been  unwelcome  and  with  whose  puritan  life  they 
could  not  coalesce.  But  they  settled  among  their 
co-believers  in  church  and  state  in  Virginia,  many 
of  them  opening  up  large  plantations.  The  de- 
mand for  African  slaves  immediately  increased 
and  these  were  furnished  by  the  Dutch  slave  trad- 
ers. Such  historic  examples  make  it  clear  that  the 
subsequent  character  of  the  state  was  fixed  by  the 
beliefs  and  practices  of  the  original  settlers  in 
both  Massachusetts  and  Virginia.  Virginia  be- 
came a  tobacco  producing  state  dependent  on  slave 
labor,  while  New  England  developed  ship  build- 
ing and  manufacturing,  requiring  skilled  labor, 
which  could  be  done  by  free  white  persons  only. 
A  most  striking  illustration  of  the  present  differ- 
ence between  the  two  regions  as  shown  in  its  men 
is  given  by  The  National  Tribune,  a  paper  pub- 
lished in  Washington,  D.  C.,  as  follows : 

"It  is  found  in  this  country  that  Massachusetts 
leads  in  prominent  men,  and  Connecticut  is  always 
second,  with  the  southern  states  far  behind  in  the 
production  of  noted  men.  For  example,  in  Lip- 
pincott's  Biographical  Dictionary  for  1895,  there 
were  three  thousand  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
seven  names  of  native-born  Americans.  Of  these 
seven  hundred  and  eleven  were  born  in  Massa- 
chusetts and  two  hundred  and  thirty-one  in  Vir- 
ginia. The  men  who  received  special  adjectives 
of  praise  were  three  hundred  and  twenty,  of  whom 
ninety-five  were  born  in  Massachusetts  and  twen- 


194  RANCHLIFE 

ty-three  in  Virginia.  Those  who  received  unusual 
space  were  two  hundred  and  thirty-four,  of 
whom  sixty-seven  were  born  in  Massachusetts, 
and  only  twenty  in  Virginia.  Americans  about 
whom  books  have  been  written  numbered  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-nine,  of  whom  thirty-nine  were 
born  in  Massachusetts  and  eighteen  in  Virginia. 
Of  bankers,  merchants,  lawyers,  politicians,  of- 
ficials, engineers,  manufacturers  and  soldiers  there 
were  one  thousand  two  hundred  and  sixty-six 
men,  of  whom  two  hundred  and  thirty-five  were 
born  in  Massachusetts  and  one  hundred  and  forty- 
three  in  Virginia.  'Who's  Who  in  America'  has 
fourteen  thousand  two  hundred  and  twenty-seven 
names,  of  which  one  thousand  six  hundred  and 
fifty  were  born  in  Massachusetts  and  four  hundred 
and  ninety-three  in  Virginia.  Of  the  thirteen  Orig- 
inal States  Massachusetts  has  always  produced 
twice  as  many  eminent  men  as  Virginia.  The  ratio 
also  rises  higher  when  only  those  who  have  re- 
ceived adjectives  of  praise  in  their  biographies  are 
considered.  Nine-tenths  of  the  names  in  the  Dic- 
tionary are  mere  dry  statements  of  birth,  career 
and  death.  Of  those  who  received  adjectives  of 
praise,  Massachusetts  born  has  three  and  eight- 
tenths  per  cent.,  while  Virginia  has  only  six- 
tenths  of  one  per  cent." 

Without  having  gone  into  the  character  of  the 
other  colonies,  which  settled  the  original  southern 
states,  there  is  little  doubt  that  a  similar  compari- 


VIRGINIA  195 

son  could  be  made  between  them,  and  the  first  set- 
tlers of  the  other  northern  states.  It  is  the  dif- 
ference between  the  cavalier  and  the  earnest  com- 
mon people.  It  is  the  difference  in  principle  be- 
tween feudalism  and  democracy.  It  is  the  dif- 
ference between  good  and  bad  methods  of  view- 
ing, and  conducting,  the  social  and  governmental 
affairs  of  life. 

In  strong  contrast  with  the  spirit  of  the  peo- 
ple of  Virginia,  it  was  delightful,  after  three 
weeks  delay  at  Washington,  D.  C.  and  Atlantic 
City,  N.  J.,  to  finally  arrive  in,  and  witness  the 
spirit  of  New  England,  where  the  stars  and  stripes 
were  always,  and  the  only  flag,  in  evidence;  and 
where  the  word  "white"  is  not  inserted  in  law,  or 
constitution.  The  laws  of  a  people  should  be 
made  for  all,  whatever  color.  The  soil  of  New 
England  has  been  in  cultivation,  about  as  long  as 
that  of  Virginia.  But  how  different  its  appear- 
ance! Where  New  England  soil  has  ceased  to  be 
productive  it  has  been  made  fairly  productive  by 
the  application  of  fertilizers;  or  wealth,  accumu- 
lated in  other  pursuits,  has  converted  it  into  beau- 
tiful homes.  Granite  walls,  some  of  them  beauti- 
ful, inclosing  the  lands,  houses  and  parks,  adorn 
the  land.  Thrift  and  enterprise  are  everywhere 
to  be  seen  in  that  favored  clime.  There  is  a  life, 
and  snappiness  in  the  air  of  New  England,  which 
one  does  not  find  further  south,  and  the  people 
partake  of  these  differences.  The  varied  indus- 


196  RANCH      LIFE 

tries,  from  the  making  of  a  wood  spool,  to  that 
of  building  a  steel  ship,  came  by  inheritance  to 
that  people.  Their  forefathers  trained  their 
hands,  and  brains  in  a  variety  of  handicraft.  Some 
of  the  puritan  blacksmiths  made  the  most  ex- 
quisite silverware.  Paul  Revere  was  a  silversmith, 
Franklin,  a  printer,  John  Hancock,  a  merchant. 
The  farmers  were  also  fishermen,  or  hotel  keep- 
ers; or  turned  their  varied  capacities  to  any  in- 
dustry that  would  be  profitable.  The  pilgrims  and 
puritans  thrived  by  the  work  of  their  own  hands, 
not  by  those  of  slaves.  They  lifted  the  granite 
stones  from  most  unpromising  lands,  with  their 
own  hands;  frequently  built  their  houses  and 
fences  of  the  stones,  and  made  fortunes  by  work- 
ing at  profitable  industries,  without  any  aristo- 
cratic dignity  to  maintain.  Both  New  England 
and  Virginia  have  done  much  to  preserve  the  land- 
marks of  early  and  Revolutionary  times.  The 
woman's  society  for  the  preservation  of  these 
landmarks  in  Virginia  has  done  wonders  at 
Jamestown,  Williamsburgh,  Yorktown  and  Fred- 
ericksburg.  It  is  astonishing  to  see  so  much  of 
the  ruins  at  Jamestown  restored  by  these  ladies. 
These  remains  are  three  hundred  years  old.  At 
Fredericksburg,  they  have  preserved  the  house, 
once  the  home  of  Washington's  mother,  and  built 
to  her,  in  the  cemetery,  a  fine  granite  monument, 
to  replace  an  old  one. 

The  patriotism  of  Virginia,  and  that  of  New 


VIRGINIA  197 

England,  in  the  years  preceding  the  Revolution, 
were  contemporaneous,  and  equal  in  value.  But 
to  Massachusetts  fell  the  first  conflict  of  arms  at 
Lexington.  No  people  could  have  met  the  condi- 
tions of  1775  better.  Possessing  nervous  temper- 
aments of  the  most  inflammable  kind,  they  waited 
with  wonderful  patience,  until  the  king's  troops 
fired  the  first  shot  in  actual  war  at  Lexington,  at 
early  dawn  on  April  19th,  1775.  Fortunately  for 
the  result  of  that  conflict,  the  British  troops  kept 
together  in  compact  form  and  did  not  throw  out 
skirmishers.  The  patriots,  though  armed,  were 
entirely  without  discipline  and  knew  nothing  of 
regimentation.  Adopting  the  only  mode  of  war- 
fare of  which  they  had  any  knowledge,  that  is, 
the  Indian  method,  they  beat  back  the  British 
forces,  with  great  slaughter,  in  much  the  same 
manner  that  Braddock's  defeat  was  accomplished 
in  Pennsylvania  by  the  Indians  in  1755. 

The  history  of  the  pioneer  immigrants  of  New 
England  has  always  been  fascinating.  Their  very 
fanaticism  was  only  an  evolved  function  of  their 
earnest  and  sturdy  manhood.  They  were  not  aris- 
tocrats, nor  descendants  of  these,  but  they  were  in- 
telligent middle  class  people.  They  were  always 
willing  to  undergo  any  necessary  suffering  and 
deprivation,  in  order  to  preserve  their  independ- 
ence, and  virile  beliefs;  and  intermingled,  with 
their  supernatural  ideas,  appeared  in  bold  relief 
always  the  homely  and  honest  virtues  of  love  of 


198  RANCHLIFE 

freedom,  unconquerable  resistance  to  tyranny,  un- 
tiring industry,  and  thriftiness.  So  intense  were 
these  admirable  qualities  that  today,  their  de- 
scendants, not  only  in  New  England,  but  through- 
out the  Nation,  give  a  like  tone  to  American  so- 
ciety. The  spirit,  manifested  at  Lexington,  and 
Bunker  Hill,  pervades  the  people  wherever  the  de- 
scendants of  the  pilgrims  and  puritans  have  mi- 
grated. The  ringing  oratory  of  James  Otis,  and 
Samuel  Adams,  in  delineating  the  tyranny  of 
George  III,  and  elucidating  the  rights  of  man,  is 
known  to  every  reader  of  American  history 
throughout  the  land.  It  is  a  shining  and  perpetual 
part  of  the  history  of  our  country.  This  is  a 
precious  inheritance,  worth  more  than  the  physi- 
cal wealth  of  the  nation.  In  and  around  Boston 
the  esteem  in  which  these  men,  as  well  as  the 
memory  of  Franklin  and  Paul  Revere,  is  held,  is 
shown  in  the  numerous  monuments,  and  tablets 
erected  to  them.  We  must  not  let  the  emotion 
of  patriotism  blind  us  to  the  fact  however,  that 
Otis,  Hancock,  Samuel  Adams,  Franklin,  Revere 
and  Washington,  himself,  were  men  of  only 
human  traits.  They  were  not  saints,  nor  angels. 
It  is  more  than  probable  that  those  who  were 
closest  to  them,  while  living,  saw  little  difference 
between  them  and  other  men.  Yet  there  was  this 
difference,  not  apparent  to  their  contemporaries, 
but  very  apparent  to  us,  that  they  did  a  work  so 
remarkable,  as  to  be  carried  down  in  history,  as 


VIRGINIA  199 

of  basic  value  to  the  country,  and  which  will 
abide,  in  the  uplift  of  mankind  for  all  time ;  (while 
others  of  more  strict  moral  character  than  some 
of  these  patriots,  are  now  forgotten).  First  of 
all,  they  were  lovers  of  freedom  and  fighters 
against  oppression.  The  route  taken  by  Paul  Re- 
vere, in  his  midnight  ride  to  alarm  the  settlers 
at  the  approach  of  the  British  forces  to  Lexington 
and  Concord,  is  preserved  by  frequent  tablets, 
especially  the  spot  where  he  was  captured.  In 
fact  all  the  occurrences  from  the  massacre  on 
State  Street,  in  March  1770,  to  the  evacuation  of 
Boston  by  the  red  coats,  in  March  1776,  are  pre- 
served most  minutely. 

In  this  six  years  of  anxiety,  fear,  frequent  ap- 
peals to  the  better  sense  of  the  British  parliament, 
of  conflict  in  arms  against  the  large  forces  of  a 
great  kingdom,  by  a  handful  of  colonists,  poor,  un- 
trained in  warfare,  they  actually  lost  but  few  men, 
although,  at  the  evacuation,  the  English  General 
Howe  had  a  trained  and  veteran  army  of  about 
8,000  men.  The  Declaration  of  Independence  had 
not  yet  been  framed.  But  this  defeat  of  royalty 
by  the  middle  classes  of  the  people,  in  forcing  the 
British  to  evacuate  Boston,  left  at  least  four  of 
the  New  England  states  free  from  future  inva- 
sion. This  was  accomplished  by  the  yeoman  of 
New  England,  commanded  after  the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill  by  Washington,  who  was  a  Virginian. 
Thus  New  England  and  Virginia  joined  hands  in 


200  RANCH     LIFE 

a  common  purpose.  After  Washington  took  com- 
mand, during  the  siege  of  Boston,  the  loss  to  the 
patriots  was  less  than  twenty.  "The  liberation  of 
New  England  cost  altogether  less  than  two  hun- 
dred lives  in  battle."  Their  descendants,  in  the  late 
Civil  War,  inherited  the  indomitable  courage  and 
patriotism  of  their  fathers.  The  record  of  losses 
in  New  England  regiments  in  the  Civil  War  will 
stand  beside  that  of  their  ancestors  in  the  Revo- 
lution, as  being  more  remarkable  for  its  large 
number,  but  not  more  praiseworthy  and  patriotic 
than  are  the  small  number  of  losses  in  the  earlier 
conflicts  at  Boston  and  vicinity. 


OUR    FLAG 

Read  before  Pueblo  Post  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic. 

Ever  since  June  14th,  1777,  the  Stars  and 
Stripes  have  been  the  legal  emblem  of  the  inde- 
pendence of  this  country.  The  law,  making  thir- 
teen stripes  alternate  white  and  red,  and  thirteen 
stars  on  a  blue  field  the  flag  of  the  independent 
United  States,  was  enacted  on  that  date.  Before 
the  Declaration  of  Independence,  the  flag  dis- 
played the  <fCross  of  St.  George"  of  England,  more 
or  less  modified.  A  historian  says,  "It  is  uncer- 
tain what  flag,  if  any  was  used  by  the  Americans 
at  Bunker  Hill."  At  one  time  the  patriots  used 
the  white  flag,  with  a  green  pine  tree  called  the 
"Pine  Tree  Flag." 

Commodore  Esek  Hopkins,  when  in  command 
of  the  American  fleet  prior  to  1776  used  a  yellow 
ensign,  with  the  device  of  a  rattlesnake  in  the  at- 
titude of  striking,  and  the  words,  "Don't  tread 
on  me"  The  snake  on  these  flags  generally  bore 
thirteen  rattles ;  and  was  sometimes  coiled  around 
the  trunk  of  the  pine  tree.  But  from  the  time  of 
the  official  act  of  1777,  the  Stars  and  Stripes  were 
the  ensign  of  the  Revolutionary  forces. 

The  war  of  1812  was  fought  under  a  flag  of 
fifteen  stripes  and  fifteen  stars,  emblematic  of  the 
number  of  states  then  composing  the  Union.  Soon 


202  RANCH     LIFE 

after  this  war,  the  original  number  of  stripes  was 
restored;  and  the  number  of  states  represented, 
as  at  first,  by  the  number  of  stars,  a  new  star  to  be 
added  each  4th  of  July,  after  the  admission  of  a 
new  state. 

So  much  for  the  history  of  our  flag — an  ac- 
count of  which  any  of  you  can  read  in  the  en- 
cyclopedia, a  book  which  Humboldt  once  called 
"The  Ass's  Bridge."  Over  this  bridge  many  an 
orator  crosses  to  fame. 

But  this  glorious  emblem  not  only  represents 
the  independence  of  our  country;  it  speaks  its 
greatness  also.  The  white  stars  on  a  blue  field, 
are  the  testimony  of  a  growth.  From  thirteen 
weak  states  the  republic  has  grown  to  forty-eight 
sturdy  commonwealths,  the  provincial  centers  of 
commercial,  agricultural  and  manufacturing  ac- 
tivity. It  might  be  interesting  to  conjecture  what 
astonishment  and  new-born  pride  Washington 
would  now  express,  could  he  view  with  his 
placid  blue  eyes,  again  in  the  flesh,  the  present 
greatness  of  this  Union,  increased  from  3,000,000 
inhabitants,  scattered  along  the  Atlantic  sea  coast, 
to  98,000,000  stretching  from  ocean  to  ocean  and 
all  bearing  aloft  the  flag  of  his  choice,  with  not  a 
star  dimmed  nor  a  stripe  erased. 

This  flag  also  represents  not  only  the  greatness 
of  the  country  but  its  republican  form  of  govern- 
ment. The  blue  union  surmounted  by  the  white 
stars  is  emblematic  of  our  national  motto,  "Many 


OUR     FLAG  203 

in  One."  Although  our  country  is  made  up  of  sev- 
eral separate  states,  each  of  which  has  a  star  on 
the  flag,  no  state  has  a  separate  flag.  This  fact 
adds  dignity  and  power  to  the  national  ensign. 
The  same  stars  and  stripes  float  from  the  state 
house  of  every  commonwealth;  and  from  the 
school  house  of  every  district  in  this  broad  land, 
the  eyes  of  the  united  American  citizenship  look 
with  patriotic  affection  to  its  bright  and  beauti- 
ful folds,  as  the  emblem  of  our  only  allegiance. 

But  above  and  over  all,  this  flag  of  ours,  bears 
aloft  the  patriotism  of  the  people,  and  the  valor 
of  the  Union  arms.  This  particular  form  of  cloth 
and  color  was  originally  made  the  emblem  of  na- 
tionality by  act  of  congress.  It  has  since  been 
made  significant  as  such  emblem,  in  the  eyes  of 
the  whole  people  of  this  broad  land,  because  it 
represents  their  valor  and  achievement.  Under  it 
the  armies  of  the  republic  have  marched  to  tri- 
umph in  five  wars.  It  inspired  the  feeble  bat- 
talions of  Washington  to  deeds  of  heroic  valor 
against  the  armies  of  a  mighty  nation,  the  only 
one  whom  the  invincible  Bonaparte  feared.  Who 
can  tell  what  aid  the  charm  and  spell  of  its  pres- 
ence gave  to  the  war-like  spirit  of  the  Continental 
troops,  in  winning  what  appeared  at  the  time,  a 
hopeless  victory.  This  emblem  brings  down  to 
us  the  living  witness  of  their  love  of  freedom, 
their  warlike  spirit,  their  self-sacrificing  patriot- 
ism. 


204  RANCH     LIFE 

It  waved  over  our  victorious  battleships  in  the 
war  of  1812.  Twice  only  it  has  headed  armies 
of  conquest.  Scott  landed  a  handful  of  troops, 
planted  it  in  1847,  in  the  Imperial  City  of  Mexico. 
The  Philippine  war  against  the  natives,  while  a 
natural  result  of  a  humanitarian  war  against 
Spain,  yet  must  be  classed  as  one  of  conquest.  In 
the  Civil  War  in  which  served  two  million  citi- 
zen soldiers  our  flag  represented  Union  against 
Disunion.  Four  of  the  states,  represented  in  the 
thirteen  stripes,  endeavored  to  dissolve  the  Union. 
It  puzzled  them  to  find  a  fit  emblem  for  disunion. 
Governor  Wise  of  Virginia  wanted  the  rebels  to 
fight  the  battles  of  disintegration  under  the  old 
flag.  But  how  could  that  be  done,  when  its  thir- 
teen stripes  meant  union  with  the  states  against 
whom  they  were  at  war.  They  were  compelled  to 
adopt  a  strange,  and  therefore  an  unknown  flag, 
around  which  no  memories  of  the  past  clung,  and 
to  fire  upon  one,  under  which  many  of  them  had 
achieved  renown  in  Mexico  and  the  Indian  wars; 
under  which,  their  leaders  had  been  educated  at 
West  Point;  under  whose  aegis,  their  homes  had 
been  protected  and  their  states  grown  to  power. 
These  memories  should  have  made  it  difficult  for 
them  to  fire  at  the  old  flag.  Many  of  them  did 
feel  this  influence.  They  should  have  been  thrilled 
with  emotions  of  patriotism  and  sentiment  for 
the  Union  when  they  saw  themselves  arrayed 
against  it  in  battle,  but  they  are  as  silent  as  the 


OUR     FLAG  205 

grave  today  on  this  point.  Let  us  hope  that  those 
of  them  who  are  living  today  are  glad  that  they 
did  not  succeed  in  striking  down  "our  flag"  and 
erecting  in  its  place,  in  such  feeble  government  as 
they  could  have  formed,  either  one  of  the  four 
flags,  which  at  different  times  they  successively 
adopted,  in  their  impossible  efforts  to  find  a  fitting 
emblem  of  so  illogical  a  phenomenon. 

Soldiers!  This  flag  which  so  inspired  you  at 
Antietam,  Gettysburg,  Vicksburg  and  Chicka- 
mauga,  means  more  to  you  than  to  those  who 
never  stood  in  the  deadly  fire  of  battle.  To  others 
it  is  an  emblem  of  Peace,  Plenty  and  Power.  To 
you  it  signifies  all  these  and  more.  It  is  hallowed 
to  you  by  the  blood  of  your  fellow  comrades,  the 
sacrifice  and  sufferings  of  two  million  volunteers, 
who  fought  their  misguided  countrymen  in  its  de- 
fense. 

With  the  memories  of  all  the  wars  through 
which  it  has  so  triumphantly  waved,  brightening 
its  colors,  inspiring  coming  generations  to  never 
let  it  be  lowered  in  the  cause  of  humanity,  let  us 
hope  that  hereafter  it  may  become  an  ensign  of 
Peace  only.  It  may  yet  become  the  aegis  of  a 
continent;  under  a  larger  interpretation  of  the 
Monroe  Doctrine;  one  that  the  world  will  acqui- 
esce in,  as  international  law. 

Then  it  will,  in  truth  become  a 
"Flag  of  the  free  heart's  hope  and  home, 
By  Angel  hands  to  valor  given." 


LINCOLN-WASHINGTON  CAMPFIRE 


Read  before  Upton  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  Pueblo,  Colo.,  February  21,  1901. 

If  a  person  totally  ignorant  of  its  contents  had 
a  library  to  arrange  he  would  most  likely  place  the 
books  in  their  cases  according  to  size  and  color. 
This  would  satisfy  his  eye  and  also  his  intellect, 
until  he  became  acquainted  with  the  subjects 
treated  in  the  volumes.  Then  his  mind  would  be- 
come restless  and  discontented  with  the  first  ar- 
rangement. He  would  rearrange  them  on  their 
shelves  according  to  their  subjects.  He  would 
make  an  intellectual  classification  according  to  in- 
ternal not  external  features.  This  classification 
would  be  along  the  lines  of  thought  expressed  by 
the  authors.  He  would  then  discover  how  much 
more  satisfying  is  this  grouping  of  the  volumes 
according  to  the  ideas  expressed;  not  only  to  the 
mind  but  to  the  eye;  because  whatever  is  intel- 
lectual is  at  the  same  time  physically  gratifying. 

It  is  the  same  with  all  classification.  The 
power  properly  to  classify  according  to  abiding 
qualities  is  the  very  highest  in  the  intellect  of  man. 
Take  the  system  of  nature  for  an  example.  Lin- 
naeus in  the  first  half  of  the  18th  century  made  a 
classification  of  the  animal  and  vegetable  king- 


LINCOLN-WASHINGTON  207 

doms,  which  was  approved  of  by  all  intelligent 
naturalists  until  the  time  of  Cuvier  in  the  19th 
century.  Cuvier  made  a  very  much  better  one,  be- 
cause he  based  his  classification,  for  the  first  time, 
upon  the  homologies  of  internal  structure.  But 
scientists  are  now,  since  the  hypothesis  of  evolu- 
tion is  almost  universally  admitted,  asking  for  a 
better  classification  than  Cuvier's  and  will  some 
day  get  it,  based  upon  still  deeper  and  more  con- 
stant uniformity  of  development  throughout  all 
nature,  organic  and  inorganic. 

These  observations  will  apply  equally  well  to 
the  classification  of  men.  Human  organisms  must 
not  be  grouped  according  to  size,  nor  place  and 
date  of  birth,  nor  according  to  the  clothes  they 
wear — that  has  been  settled  ever  since  Thomas 
Carlyle  wrote  Sartor-Resartus ;  but  by  the  abiding 
data  of  achievement;  principally  by  what  they  do 
for  the  real  benefit  of  mankind.  Those  who  origi- 
nate new  thoughts,  and  point  out  new  ways  for 
men  to  evolve  toward  perfection  are  placed  in  the 
highest  class. 

It  is  fortunate  for  the  dual  purpose  of  this 
meeting  that  Washington  and  Lincoln  were  born 
in  the  same  month;  but  for  the  purpose  of  com- 
paring them  as  men,  that  fact  is  of  no  importance. 
The  orators  who  will  later  address  you  will  com- 
pare the  mental  traits  of  these  two  historic  char- 
acters showing  wherein,  by  their  achievements, 
they  have  exhibited  great  qualities  in  common, 


208  RANCH     LIFE 

and  wherein,  notwithstanding  their  physical  and 
mental  likenesses,  they  also  differ  from  each  other. 

It  is  not  the  intention  to  anticipate  the 
thoughts  of  either  orator,  yet  at  the  close  of  their 
orations  it  may  be  predicted  that  you  will  find 
that  these  two  most  eminent  of  Americans  will  be 
classified  in  your  minds  as  alike  in  their  fund  of 
common  honesty,  unbounded  loyalty  to  duty,  and 
the  wonderfully  sagacious  comprehension  of  those 
functions  of  a  government  whose  power  is  derived 
from  the  consent  of  the  governed. 

By  great  personal  endurance  and  mental  pow- 
er Washington  achieved  what  Lincoln  preserved, 
viz. :  "A  government  of  the  people,  by  the  people, 
and  for  the  people."  Washington's  place,  high 
above  all  other  men,  had  been  fixed  long  before 
Lincoln  was  born.  When  Lincoln  first  began  to 
attract  the  attention  of  the  country,  most  men  not 
recognizing  the  precious  jewel  hidden  beneath  the 
awkward  and  homely  exterior,  classified  him  by 
his  outward  appearance.  Even  his  own  secretary 
of  war  called  him  a  gorilla.  But  ever  since  his 
Gettysburg  address  and  his  second  inaugural  the 
consensus  of  the  most  intellectual  judgment  of 
mankind  has  been  classifying  him  by  his  internal 
mental  qualities  until  today,  he  who  was  the 
humblest  of  American  boys  stands  upon  the  same 
historical  niche  with  the  illustrious  Father  of  our 
Country,  and  for  real  original  ability  is  the  most 
colossal  figure  in  American  history. 


PRESIDENT    McKINLEY 


Read  at  the  Opera  House  meeting  the  Sunday 
after  his  assassination. 

There  lies  in  state  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  the  body 
of  a  man  who,  aside  from  the  public  positions  he 
held,  would  be  entitled  to  the  tribute  the  whole 
world  is  now  paying  to  his  memory.  This  is  true, 
because  he  is  a  typical  American  citizen. 

Wm.  McKinley  was  born  in  comparative  ob- 
scurity in  the  middle  west  and  grew  to  manhood 
without  the  influence  of  wealth  or  position.  But 
he  was  endowed  with  a  brain  which  compelled 
him  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  time  with 
successful  determination.  By  always  doing  the 
duty  next  to  him,  he  performed  every  task  with 
ease  and  eminent  success.  The  conditions  sur- 
rounding him  were  no  different  from  those  facing 
every  boy  of  his  age  in  the  state  of  Ohio.  His 
success  came  as  the  years  rolled  by,  in  the  unusual 
way  in  which  he  met  those  conditions.  It  was 
this  power  in  him  to  wrest  that  elusive  thing 
called  success  from  his  environment,  that  makes 
him  now  an  object  of  so  much  devotion  and  dis- 
tinguishes him  from  the  thousands  of  his  con- 


210  RANCH     LIFE 

temporaries  who  grew  up  in  the  same  surround- 
ings. 

We  are  told  that  his  real  career  began  when  at 
the  age  of  eighteen,  in  June,  1861,  he  enlisted  as 
a  private  in  Company  E,  23rd  Ohio  Infantry. 

His  service  lasted  four  years  from  that  date. 
It  was  fourteen  months  before  he  received  a  com- 
mission as  second  lieutenant.  He  always  re- 
ferred with  great  pride  to  the  period  he  served 
as  an  enlisted  man.  He  successively  became  first 
lieutenant  at  the  age  of  twenty  and  captain  at 
twenty-one.  Near  the  close  of  the  war,  he  was 
commissioned  by  that  other  martyr  of  the  assass- 
in's bullet,  Abraham  Lincoln,  as  major  by  brevet, 
for  gallant  and  meritorious  services  in  battle. 

His  regiment  served  principally  in  West  Vir- 
ginia but  it  was  also  in  the  thick  of  the  battles  of 
South  Mountain  and  Antietam.  This  regiment, 
in  addition  to  its  honorable  record  in  the  battles 
of  the  war,  was  especially  distinguished  for  the 
number  of  men  on  its  rolls  who  subsequently  be- 
came famous.  General  William  S.  Rosecrans  was 
its  first  colonel,  Rutherford  B.  Hayes,  a  field  of- 
ficer, and  among  others  Stanley  Mathews,  who 
afterwards  became  one  of  the  judges  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  the  United  States.  It  furnished 
two  presidents,  Hayes  and  McKinley.  Hayes  was 
much  older  than  McKinley  and  after  the  war  he 
often  spoke  in  public  of  the  gallantry  and  efficien- 
cy of  the  latter.  But,  bear  in  mind,  he  was  not 


PRESIDENT      McKINLEY  211 

only  brave  in  battle,  he  performed  every  duty 
with  high,  conscientious  intelligence.  Many  were 
brave  in  battle  who  were  otherwise  worthless.  But 
the  one  who,  like  McKinley,  proved  brave  and 
equally  efficient  in  the  performance  of  every  other 
duty  and  exhibited  high  intellect  in  doing  it,  was 
rare. 

The  23rd  Ohio  stands  in  history  as  one  of  the 
noted  three  hundred  fighting  regiments. 

By  reason  of  his  service  in  the  Civil  War,  he 
became  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public and  of  the  Military  Order  of  the  Loyal 
Legion.  He  retained  these  memberships  to  the 
day  of  his  death.  He  always  took  special  pride 
in  these  military  orders  and  treated  his  comrades 
with  special  consideration. 

But  do  not  misunderstand  this  tribute  to  his 
memory  by  his  comrades  of  the  Grand  Army. 
Great  and  urgent  as  the  war  of  1861  was,  the 
Grand  Army  does  not  desire  to  hold  up  to  your 
gaze  any  man's  record  in  that,  or  any  other  war, 
so  as  to  obscure  or  shut  out  from  your  contempla- 
tion the  greater  and  more  important  period  of  his 
civil  life.  The  military  is  and  always  should  be 
subordinate  to  the  civil.  "Peace  hath  her  vic- 
tories, no  less  renowned  than  war."  The  normal 
status  of  a  republic,  especially,  is  that  of  peaceful 
industry  of  its  entire  people  and  he  who  exerts 
his  powers  to  maintain  this  most  desirable  condi- 


212  RANCH     LIFE 

tion  is  the  one  who  should  receive  your  highest 
encomiums. 

At  the  same  time  we  do  not  forget  that  the 
war  of  1861  was  not  a  normal  but  a  civil  war. 
Those  who  enlisted  in  the  Union  volunteer  army 
were  not  soldiers  in  the  technical  sense  of  that 
word.  They  were  civilians  who  dropped  for  the 
time  being  their  industrial  pursuits  to  ward  off 
a  blow  aimed  at  the  integrity  of  the  Union.  When 
that  assailant  was  so  disabled  that  he  could  not 
repeat  the  attack  he  was  forgiven  and  these  civil- 
ians who  had  organized  themselves  into  com- 
panies in  uniform,  after  the  manner  of  the  regu- 
lar army,  the  better  to  enable  them  to  do  the  dis- 
abling, picked  up  again  their  peaceful  occupa- 
tions as  if  nothing  had  happened. 

So  that  McKinley's  service  in  that  war  was 
more  a  part  of  his  career  as  a  citizen  of  the  re- 
public than  as  a  mere  soldier.  It  may  be  called 
an  incident,  a  very  important  one,  of  course,  of 
his  remarkable  public  life.  You  are  more  or  less 
familiar  with  the  mere  outlines  of  his  public 
career.  A  close  inspection  of  them  will  give  the 
moralist  and  the  philosopher  ample  material  from 
which  to  draw  the  fundamental  laws  of  human 
success.  He  was  a  model  son,  an  ideal  husband, 
a  tender  and  considerate  friend.  Perhaps  no  gov- 
ernor of  a  state  and  no  legislator  in  the  halls  of 
congress  brought  to  those  high  positions  more  con- 
scientious devotion  to  duty  nor  a  higher  equip- 


PRESIDENT      McKINLEY  213 

ment  for  the  intelligent  performance  of  it.  Few 
legislators  have  succeeded  in  attaching  their 
names  to  a  conspicuous  statute  such  as  the  Mc- 
Kinley  tariff  act.  Only  four  presidents  have  car- 
ried a  war  to  a  successful  issue  during  their  ad- 
ministrations. These  were  Madison,  Polk,  Lin- 
coln and  McKinley.  These  are  all  the  wars  our 
government  has  engaged  in.  Every  one  was  won. 

The  Revolutionary  War  ended  prior  to  the 
formation  of  the  Constitution. 

We  stand  today,  not  only  bowed  with  grief 
but  horror  stricken  at  the  dastardly  manner  of 
President  McKinley's  death.  The  nation  is 
stunned  and  powerless  for  the  moment,  at  the  in- 
ability of  organized  government  to  prevent  the 
assassination  of  its  chief  magistrate  by  the  most 
insignificant  and  contemptible  of  mankind.  Mon- 
archial  governments  have  in  vain  enacted  the  most 
stringent  measures  and  marshalled  the  most  ef- 
ficient constabulary  to  provide  against  such  ter- 
rible contingencies.  What,  then,  can  a  republican 
government  do?  If  there  is  any  law  that  will 
eliminate  the  disorderly  element  whose  instinct  is 
to  kill  let  us  hasten  to  enact  it.  But  in  doing  so 
be  as  discriminating  and  conservative  as  William 
McKinley  would  be  were  he  alive.  Do  not  involve 
the  innocent  with  the  guilty,  nor  curtail  the  rights 
of  free  speech.  In  a  time  when  the  emotions  are 
greatly  aroused,  the  power  of  reason  is  largely  in 
abeyance  and  remedial  or  preventative  measures 


214  RANCH     LIFE 

enacted  at  such  times  are  apt  to  be  repealed  when 
the  excitement  subsides  and  reason  resumes  her 
sway.  Prevention  will  come  naturally  in  time 
by  the  gradual  development  of  the  intellect,  large- 
ly by  proper  educational  methods,  which  reach  the 
lower  stratum  of  people.  Anything  else  will 
necessarily  be  spasmodic  and  more  or  less  inef- 
fectual. 

Let  us  hope  that  this  great  calamity  and  the 
ceremonies  connected  with  it  will  serve  to  fur- 
ther educate  the  world  in  two  ways. 

First — To  the  orderly,  organized  and  well  dis- 
posed, it  will  teach  that  republican  government 
has  come  to  stay;  that  succession  and  perpetuity 
are  as  certain  here  as  in  a  monarchy,  and  more  so. 
If  the  present  form  of  government  is  not  disturbed 
by  it,  it  should  end  the  frequent  talk  about  a 
stronger  one. 

Second — To  the  disorderly  element  it  should 
teach,  if  it  is  possible  to  penetrate  such  dense 
ignorance,  that  the  bullet  of  the  assassin  kills  only 
the  body  of  the  victim  but  leaves  his  fame  and 
memory  made  all  the  brighter  thereby,  still  a 
precious  example  and  heritage;  that  the  govern- 
ment is  not  in  the  least  affected ;  and  that  by  such 
methods  they  cannot  accomplish  a  single  essential 
change  in  social  conditions  that  would  be  of  the 
least  benefit  even  to  themselves. 


AN  ADDRESS  DELIVERED  BEFORE 
THE  SOCIETY  OF  THE  ARMY  OF  THE 
CUMBERLAND  AT  CHATTANOOGA, 
TENNESSEE,  OCTOBER  16TH,  1907. 

(REVISED) 


THE     FIELD     OF     OPERATIONS. 

Like  the  "old,  old  stories"  of  love,  the  achieve- 
ments of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  are  ever 
fresh  and  interesting  to  the  participants.  The 
more  the  record  is  studied  the  more  wonderful 
becomes  the  history.  The  accounts  of  very  few 
campaigns  made  by  single  armies  throughout  the 
world's  war  record,  can  compare  with  it. 

General  James  A.  Garfield,  at  the  meeting  in 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  in  1870,  delivered  a  splendid  ora- 
tion on  the  Life  and  Character  of  General  George 
H.  Thomas,  in  which  he  so  well  describes  the  cen- 
tral field  of  operation  in  the  Civil  War  that  it  is 
quoted  here.  "It  is  now  easy  to  see  that  between 
the  northern  and  southern  states  there  are  three 
great  natural  pathways  of  invasion;  and  to  put 
down  the  rebellion  it  was  necessary  that  each  of 
these  be  traversed  and  held  by  a  great  army.  The 
first  was  the  long  and  narrow  slope  from  the  chain 


216  RANCHLIFE 

of  the  Allegheny  and  Cumberland  mountains  to 
the  Atlantic  coast.  The  second  was  the  western 
slope  from  the  same  mountain  chain  to  the  Ohio, 
the  Tennessee,  and  Tombigbee  rivers,  and  extend- 
ing southward  to  the  Gulf.  The  third  was  the 
Mississippi  river  itself,  and  the  immediate  terri- 
tory along  its  banks. 

Peculiarities  of  topography  and  surroundings 
required,  for  each  of  these  lines,  different  modes 
of  supplying  an  army  and  of  conducting  cam- 
paigns. The  army  of  the  east  which  operated  on 
the  first  line,  was  in  a  great  part  supplied  from 
the  sea,  and  many  of  its  operations  were  carried 
on  in  connection  with  the  navy.  The  army  on  the 
third  or  western  line  was  supplied  from  the 
Mississippi  river,  and  the  gun  boat  service  formed 
a  novel  and  important  feature  in  its  military  op- 
erations. 

The  Army  of  the  Cumberland  held  the  center 
line,  which  was  in  many  respects  the  most  dif- 
ficult of  all.  There  could  be  but  little  naval  co- 
operation with  its  movements;  and  only  for  a 
short  distance  could  it  be  supplied  by  river  trans- 
portation. Its  main  supply  was  by  a  single  line 
of  railroad,  running  hundreds  of  miles  among  a 
hostile  population,  and  requiring  a  heavy  force 
for  its  protection.  The  great  central  pathway  led 
into  the  heart  of  the  rebellion.  It  crossed  the  only 
line  of  railway  (the  Memphis  &  Charleston) 
which  united  the  eastern  and  western  states  of 


CHATTANOOGA     ADDRESS  217 

the  Confederacy.  Extraordinary  obstacles  lay  in 
the  pathway  of  an  army  moving  southward  over 
this  central  route.  Besides  the  broad  and  deep 
rivers  which  cross  it,  the  great  mountain  chain 
itself,  bending  sharply  near  the  Georgia  line, 
sweeps  westward  until  it  loses  itself  in  the  low 
sand  hills  and  plains  of  Alabama  and  Mississippi, 
thus  presenting  a  most  formidable  barrier  to  an 
army  invading  the  Gulf  states. 

The  great  gateway  of  the  mountain  chain  is 
at  Chattanooga,  where  the  Tennessee  river  bursts 
through  the  barrier." 

Is  that  not  a  brilliant  description  of  the  field 
of  operations  in  which  the  Army  of  the  Cumber- 
land fought  and  maneuvered?  Note  the  contrast 
he  draws  between  the  difficulties  of  that  field  and 
the  lesser  physical  impediments  in  the  lines  of 
operations  of  other  armies  in  the  Civil  War.  This 
is,  in  itself,  a  fine,  indirect  tribute  to  the  valor 
and  achievements  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumber- 
land. 

OUR     COMMANDERS. 

It  was  on  this  difficult  line  of  advance  that  our 
army,  made  up  of  the  sturdy  boys  of  the  west, 
were  mobilized  and  commanded  in  succession  by 
Generals  Robert  Anderson,  W.  T.  Sherman,  D.  C. 
Buell,  W.  S.  Rosecrans  and  at  last  by  that  peer- 
less soldier,  General  George  H.  Thomas.  Generals 


218  RANCH     LIFE 

Anderson  and  Sherman  did  not  long  continue  in 
command. 

GENERAL  GEORGE  H.  THOMAS. 

Thomas  commanded  either  a  division  or  a 
corps  from  the  beginning,  under  Anderson,  for  a 
very  short  time;  with  Rosecrans  for  a  year;  and 
during  the  operations  of  Buell,  lasting  less  than  a 
year,  he  headed  a  division,  and  part  of  the  time, 
was  designated  by  the  War  Department  as  second 
in  command.  In  the  battle  of  Perryville  he  held 
this  anomalous  position.  At  Stone's  River  he 
commanded  the  center,  where,  with  some  move- 
ment of  his  forces,  first  to  the  front,  and  then 
back  to  the  original  line,  he  formed  the  pivot, 
when  victory  perched  on  the  standards  of  General 
Rosecrans.  At  Chickamauga  the  same  western 
troops,  on  the  second  day,  formed  a  semi-circle,  of 
twenty-five  thousand  strong,  around  their  leader, 
General  Thomas,  and  beat  back  with  terrible 
slaughter  sixty  thousand  troops  of  the  enemy. 
These  Union  troops  fell  back  from  that  field  only 
when  they  were  ready  to  form  a  new  line  at  Ross- 
ville.  This  new  line  was  not  attacked.  A  south- 
ern writer,  speaking  of  this  battle  of  Chicka- 
mauga says :  "A  southern  victory,  by  the  gauge  of 
battle,  it  was  in  reality  a  northern  victory  by  the 
gauge  of  results.  As  a  fight,  the  southerners  won 
it;  as  a  battle  it  was  a  northern  victory.  For  the 


CHATTANOOGA     ADDRESS  219 

victory  belongs  to  the  man  who  holds,  who  reaps 
the  ultimate  fruit,  and  where  was  Bragg  at  the 
wind-up?  Instead  of  being  in  Chattanooga,  his 
enemy  were  there,  master  of  the  place,  and  later, 
of  the  very  field  Bragg's  troops  had  won." 

Except  a  short  service  as  colonel  of  the  Sec- 
ond Cavalry,  in  the  valley  of  the  Shenandoah,  just 
before  and  during  the  battle  of  the  first  Bull  Run, 
General  Thomas'  entire  service,  during  the  Civil 
War,  was  with  this  army.  While  other  command- 
ers of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  remained  with 
us  for  fractional  periods  only,  he  organized  the 
nucleus  brigade,  and  from  that  time  remained  a 
general  officer  in  the  center  field.  Not  only  this, 
but  after  the  war  he  was  made  commander  of 
this  department  under  re-construction.  He  was 
the  persistent,  constructive  force,  personified.  To 
him,  more  than  to  any  other,  are  we  indebted  for 
what  our  society  now  represents.  He  gave  us 
victories  as  well  as  organization. 

It  is  well  remembered  by  many  of  you  that 
when  the  Fourteenth  Army  Corps  arrived  at 
Washington,  D.  C.,  in  May,  1865,  by  way  of  the 
"March  to  the  Sea"  and  the  Carolina  campaign, 
General  Thomas  was  there  to  meet  and  review  us. 
He  had  finished  up  the  war  in  his  department,  by 
the  decisive  battle  of  Nashville,  and  the  cavalry 
raid  in  Alabama,  led  by  General  James  H.  Wilson ; 
and  then,  treating  his  first  love,  the  old  Fourteenth 
Corps,  as  still  officially  attached  to  his  command, 


220  RANCH     LIFE 

came  to  bid  us  farewell.  In  his  final  report,  he 
gives  the  official  movements  of  this  corps  just  as 
if  it  were  under  his  immediate  command,  although 
he  remained  at  Chattanooga,  and  it  marched  away 
on  that  long  campaign,  under  another  army  name. 

General  Thomas  never  did  anything  requiring 
an  apology,  or  suppression.  He  never  omitted  to 
do  with  consummate  ability  the  duty  next  to  him. 
Even  when  he  seemed  to  be  disobeying  urgent  or- 
ders just  before  the  battle  of  Nashville,  those  who 
gave  the  orders,  hastened  after  the  battle  to  say 
that  General  Thomas  was  right,  and  they  were 
wrong. 

The  history  of  the  Civil  War  is  challenged  to 
show  tactics  so  effective,  and  on  such  a  large  scale, 
in  the  midst  of  battle,  as  the  disposition  of  the  re- 
maining forces  at  Chickamauga  after  the  break 
on  the  right. 

At  Missionary  Ridge,  with  the  threat  of  Gener- 
al Grant  ringing  in  his  ears,  he  was  absolutely  cor- 
rect in  doing  nothing ;  while  the  Army  of  the  Cum- 
berland scaled  the  heights  and  won  a  victory  for 
their  beloved  commander,  against  the  plans  and 
intentions  of  General  Grant.  He  won  victories 
whether  he  was  active,  or  passive.  His  army  was 
an  automatic  machine,  because  with  Thomas  in 
command,  it  was  so  well  adjusted  and  balanced, 
that  the  men  instinctively  knew  what  the  move- 
ments should  or  would  be  whether  orders  were 
orally  given  or  not.  This  might  be  called  telepa- 


CHATTANOOGA     ADDRESS  221 

thy,  but  it  was  rather  the  effect  of  long  discipline 
under  command  of  one  who  made  no  mistakes. 

THE  OLD  ARMY  OF  THE  OHIO. 

Down  to  and  including  the  battle  of  Chicka- 
mauga  the  old  and  original  Army  of  the  Ohio, 
whose  name  was  changed  in  October,  1862,  to  the 
Army  of  the  Cumberland,  made  its  marches  and 
fought  its  battles  on  the  field  above  described  by 
General  Garfield  without  outside  aid.  The  nucleus 
of  it  was  the  brigade  which  General  Thomas  or- 
ganized at  camp  Dick  Robinson  in  1861.  That 
brigade  was  made  up  of  infantry  regiments  from 
Ohio,  Indiana,  Kentucky  and  Tennessee.  With 
them,  and  other  later  additions,  all  formed  into  a 
division,  he  fought  the  battle  of  Mill  Springs — a 
great  victory.  The  Confederate  line  extended  from 
Columbus,  Kentucky,  through  Forts  Henry,  Don- 
elson  and  the  town  of  Bowling  Green  to  Mill 
Springs,  all  strongly  fortified.  Its  right  was 
turned  and  defeated  by  General  Thomas  at  Mill 
Springs  a  month  before  Grant  defeated  the  left  at 
Forts  Henry  and  Donelson. 

Although  its  permanent  name,  "The  Army  of 
the  Cumberland,"  was  not  given  to  it  until  after 
the  battle  of  Perryville,  yet  this  army,  as  it 
marched  out  of  Louisville,  on  October  1st,  1862, 
in  pursuit  of  the  Confederate  forces  under  Gen- 
erals Bragg  and  Kirby  Smith,  was  essentially  the 


222  RANCH      LIFE 

same  organization,  composed  of  the  same  state 
troops,  who  made  all  its  subsequent  marches,  and 
fought  all  its  battles,  until  it  occupied  Chatta- 
nooga in  September,  1863.  These  troops  came 
from  the  middle  west — the  most  of  them  from 
what  was  originally  the  northwest  territory,  north 
of  the  Ohio  river.  These  were  the  states  of  Ohio, 
Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan,  Wisconsin  and  Minne- 
sota. Kentucky  contributed  seventeen  regiments 
of  infantry  and  cavalry,  Missouri  two,  Kansas 
one,  and  Pennsylvania  three  infantry  and  some 
cavalry  regiments;  Tennessee  furnished  two  cav- 
alry regiments  and  some  infantry.  Thus  it  was 
composed  almost  entirely  of  western  troops. 

THE    PERSONNEL    OF    THE    UNION 
ARMIES. 

The  Union  armies  at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil 
War  were  made  up  of  volunteers,  who  sought  en- 
listment, and  who  understood  the  object  of  their 
service.  This  fact  accounts  for  their  unusual  in- 
telligence. They  did  not  come  from  communities 
where  every  man  is  enrolled  in  the  army  as  soon 
as  he  arrives  at  the  age  of  manhood,  and  in  time 
of  war,  is  sent  to  the  front  without  his  consent. 
Every  monarchy,  in  order  to  maintain  itself,  has 
such  a  military  establishment,  whose  service  is 
not  of  the  soldier's  choosing,  nor  within  his 


CHATTANOOGA     ADDRESS  223 

knowledge,  and  for  which  he  has  no  personal  in- 
terest. Our  volunteer  did  not  consider  himself 
separate  and  distinct  from  either  his  family  or 
civil  affairs  at  home.  He  still  remained  a  citizen. 
Usually  he  had  a  farm,  or  business  awaiting  his 
return.  He  wrote  freely  his  thoughts  from  the 
front  to  those  he  left  behind,  whether  they  were 
in  criticism  or  approval  of  the  movements  of  the 
army,  or  of  the  civil  policy  of  the  government.  His 
letters  frequently  contained  truer  accounts  of 
movements  and  battles  than  some  of  the  official 
reports.  From  these  letters,  could  they  be  col- 
lected and  properly  edited,  a  minute  history  of 
the  war  could  be  compiled,  which  would  bring  to 
light  many  a  fact  now  unknown,  because  these 
letters  were  written  without  the  idea  of  publica- 
tion present  in  the  mind.  He  carried  the  right  of 
franchise  with  him,  and  voted  in  camp  for  state 
and  national  candidates;  and  the  ballots  were 
counted  as  faithfully  as  those  cast  in  the  peaceful 
precincts  of  the  township  polling  place  at  home. 
He  received  frequent  furloughs  to  visit  his  fam- 
ily and  friends.  The  private  was  often  brighter 
and  knew  more  than  his  officer.  But  he  as  faith- 
fully obeyed  his  officer's  commands  as  if  the  re- 
verse condition  existed.  He  was  not  marching  or 
fighting  blindly  for  a  king  or  an  emperor,  but  for 
himself,  who  was  the  real  sovereign  of  this  re- 
public. Notwithstanding  he  was  a  sovereign  and 
knew  the  object  of  his  fighting,  he  soon  learned 


224  RANCH     LIFE 

"there  is  a  moral  quality  in  a  bright  belt-plate 
and  a  clean  gun."  But  that  fact  did  not  prevent 
him,  when  the  "cause"  was  won,  from  laying  them 
aside,  and  resuming  his  peaceful  citizenship.  He 
had  no  intention  of  allowing  war  to  become  his 
profession.  The  service  in  the  Civil  War  is  now 
to  a  certain  extent  a  part  also  of  his  civil  fate. 
As,  while  he  was  a  volunteer  soldier,  he  did  not 
isolate  his  life  then  from  his  citizenship;  so  now 
he  does  not  forget  in  the  later  years  of  his  life 
those  strenuous  days  of  battles  and  marches.  He 
maintains  the  memory  of  them  by  attending  the 
meetings  and  ceremonies  of  his  Grand  Army  post, 
and  has  devoted  a  portion  of  his  time,  since  the 
close  of  the  war,  to  preserving  and  correcting  the 
history  of  it.  His  service  in  the  war  was  a  unique 
part  of  his  life,  and  mingles  naturally  with  the 
greater,  and  more  important  civilian  years  of  it, 
because  he  never  in  his  own  mind  separated  the 
two  periods.  They  merge  naturally  into  each 
other. 

Such  was  the  personnel  of  the  Army  of  the 
Cumberland. 

ACHIEVEMENTS  OF  THE  ARMY  OF 
THE  CUMBERLAND. 

The  army  thus  formed,  alone,  fought  four  im- 
portant battles  on  the  field  so  eloquently  described 
by  General  Garfield — Mill  Springs,  Perryville, 


CHATTANOOGA     ADDRESS  225 

Stone's  river  and  Chickamauga — penetrated  the 
enemy's  territory  twice,  as  far  as  the  Tennessee 
river;  assisted  in  snatching  victory  from  impend- 
ing defeat  at  Shiloh,  and  in  September,  1863,  held 
Chattanooga,  the  gateway  to  the  southwest. 


REINFORCEMENTS. 

Here  for  the  first  time  it  was  reinforced  by 
troops  from  other  armies.  The  Army  of  the 
Tennessee,  which  under  General  Grant  had  opened 
the  Mississippi,  touched  elbows  with  us  at  Mis- 
sionary Ridge.  The  Eleventh  and  Twelfth  Corps 
came,  at  the  same  time,  from  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  led  by  General  Joseph  Hooker,  and  were 
made  a  constituent  part  of  the  Army  of  the  Cum- 
berland, being  subsequently  consolidated  into  the 
Twentieth  Corps.  These  combined  forces  won 
the  battles  around  Chattanooga  in  November, 
1863,  and  together  with  the  Twenty-third  Corps, 
called  then  the  Army  of  the  Ohio,  under  General 
Schofield,  made  the  triumphant  campaign  to  At- 
lanta in  1864. 

When  these  reinforcements  came  to  us,  in 
October,  1863,  we  hailed  them  with  acclamation. 
We  honor  them  now,  by  giving  them  the  credit  of 
being  the  bravest  of  comrades.  They  greatly 
lightened  the  difficulties  of  the  Atlanta  campaign. 
But  let  it  be  ever  borne  in  mind,  that  the  old  Army 


226  RANCHLIFE 

of  the  Cumberland  under  Generals  Rosecrans  and 
Thomas,  with  an  army  about  equal  in  numbers  to 
the  Confederate  Army,  opposed  to  them,  made  up 
of  western  troops,  had  already  won  a  goal  in  the 
heart  of  the  Confederacy,  over  the  most  difficult 
of  all  lines  of  operation.  They  held  it  until  re- 
inforcements came,  having  just  fought,  at  Chicka- 
mauga,  a  battle  against  superior  numbers,  in 
which  a  greater  number  of  the  enemy  was  killed 
and  wounded,  than  in  any  other  battle  of  the  war. 

THE     ATLANTA     CAMPAIGN. 

It  may  be  idle  to  discuss  now,  whether  the 
Army  of  the  Cumberland,  as  it  camped  around 
Ringgold,  Georgia,  on  May  6th,  1864,  in  sole  com- 
mand of  General  Thomas  could  have  successfully 
made  the  Atlanta  campaign  alone.  The  official 
returns  then  give  it,  including  General  Hooker's 
reinforcements  from  the  east,  an  aggregate  of 
60,773.  This  is  considerably  more  than  the  Con- 
federate General  Joseph  E.  Johnston  claimed  to 
have  at  Dalton,  Georgia,  on  the  same  date.  The 
aggregate  of  the  two  Union  Armies  of  the  Ten- 
nessee and  the  Ohio  was  about  38,000.  However, 
it  may  be  conjectured,  that  could  General  Thomas 
have  had  his  line  to  the  rear  fully  protected  by 
other  troops,  and  been  in  sole  command  on  that 
march,  the  military  history  of  it  might  have  been 
quite  different  from  what  it  is.  Some  things  may 


CHATTANOOGA     ADDRESS  227 

pretty  certainly  be  predicated  of  such  a  conjectural 
campaign.  The  battle  of  Resaca  and  the  charge  at 
Kenesaw  would  not  have  occurred  in  the  precise 
way  they  did  occur.  There  would  likely  have  been 
but  one  great  battle  and  that,  if  won  by  General 
Thomas,  would  have  been  decisive.  However,  it 
was  natural  and  proper  for  the  War  Department 
to  send  the  reinforcements  in  the  way  it  did,  and 
from  the  troops  most  available,  and  in  as  large 
numbers  as  possible.  However,  they  should  have 
been  reinforcements  to  the  Army  of  the  Cumber- 
land, and  not  in  the  nature  of  an  absorption  of  that 
army  into  a  new  department,  upon  the  old  center 
field,  under  a  commander  coming  from  another 
field. 

General  Thomas,  who  was  then  in  command 
of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  had  a  successful 
record  behind  him  which  should  have  insured  him 
the  necessary  rank,  and  the  continued  supremacy 
in  his  own  department.  Whatever  was  done,  how- 
ever, which  we  may  now  wish  had  not  been  done, 
did  not  thereby  obliterate  the  achievements  of  the 
Army  of  the  Cumberland  down  to  and  including 
the  taking  of  Chattanooga,  and  holding  it  from 
September,  1863,  to  the  close  of  the  war.  These, 
together  with  its  subsequent  career,  as  the  center 
and  pivot  of  the  Atlanta  campaign ;  its  winning  of 
Franklin  and  Nashville,  after  more  than  half  of 
its  force  had  been  detached,  and  marched  to  the 
sea,  gave  it  a  permanent  standing  unsurpassed  in 


228 


RANCH     LIFE 


the  world's  military  history.  It  is  our  duty,  as  a 
society,  to  protect  and  uphold  that  record  as  long 
as  there  shall  remain  a  living  member,  without, 
however,  detracting  for  a  moment,  in  any  particu- 
lar, from  the  merit  of  those  gallant  reinforce- 
ments from  the  east,  and  from  the  west,  who  made 
the  Atlanta  campaign  much  easier  than  it  other- 
wise would  have  been. 

As  said  by  General  John  M.  Palmer  in  his  ad- 
dress at  the  Cleveland,  Ohio,  meeting  in  1870 :  "It 
makes  no  difference  that  some  fought  and  strug- 
gled on  the  Potomac,  on  the  Mississippi,  or  on  the 
seaboard,  or  that  their  lines  of  operation  were 
crossed  by  the  Tennessee  and  the  Cumberland — 
they  battled  for  common  objects,  they  saddened  at 
common  defeats,  and  shouted  in  triumph  over  vic- 
tories wherever  won.  And  when  the  flag  of  re- 
sistance to  the  national  authority  went  down  in 
northern  Virginia,  in  North  Carolina  and  west  of 
the  Mississippi,  and  when  the  white  wings  of 
peace  again  returned  to  gladden  all,  all  shared 
in  the  joy  of  that  happy  hour." 


THE  ARMY  STOOD  FOR  PEACE  NOT 
WAR. 

The  splendid  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  who 
made  this  record  in  its  country's  history,  although 
clothed  in  the  panoply  of  war,  stood  not  for  war, 
in  the  technical  sense  of  that  word,  but  for  peace. 


CHATTANOOGA     ADDRESS  229 

The  word  war,  although  applied  to  what  was  done, 
in  the  Civil  War,  is  coupled  also,  in  its  general 
definition,  with  conquest  for  power,  with  murder 
without  cause,  with  wanton  destruction  for  ag- 
grandizement, with  tyranny,  slavery  and  personal 
government.  Our  army  was  the  instrument,  by 
means  of  certain  methods,  popularly  called  war, 
of  ultimate  peace — a  peace  that  preceding  events 
had  shown,  could  be  preserved  by  armed  offense 
and  defense  only.  And  whatever  offensive  move- 
ments became  necessary  by  the  Union  army  in 
that  conflict,  were  done  alone  for  the  destruction  of 
the  immediate  armed  menace,  against  which  they 
were  aimed.  The  situation  was  comparable  to  a 
man  who,  while  pursuing  his  ordinary  peaceful 
avocation,  has  suddenly  discovered  an  enemy 
pointing  a  loaded  firearm  at  him  and  his  home, 
with  deadly  intent.  The  threatened  destruction  of 
the  Union  was  a  menace  to  the  peace  and  security 
of  every  person  and  every  home.  The  only  reaction 
adequate  to  meet  such  a  menace,  was  to  drop  the 
tools  of  industry  and  destroy  the  enemy.  This  re- 
quired the  use  of  the  only  means  adequate  to  ac- 
complish the  end ;  and  that  is  called  war,  when  the 
menace  is  to  the  nation  at  large,  and  the  enemy  is 
counted  by  the  thousands.  The  citizens  of  the 
Union  became  organized  by  regimentation  into 
bodies  moving  by  the  command  of  one  officer. 
This  made  them  into  armies,  and  the  result  was 
what  is  called  war.  Such  rules  of  the  art  of  war 


230  RANCH      LIFE 

were  applied  as  were  necessary  to  make  them  ef- 
ficient, in  producing  the  result  for  which  they 
were  organized.  Very  few  regiments  of  this  army 
could  have  been  enlisted  into  a  regular  army  for 
continuous  service,  whether  war  existed  or  not, 
also  to  expect  such  citizen  soldiers  to  accomplish 
in  any  more  than  a  crude  way,  and  in  prolonged 
time,  what  the  Union  forces  accomplished,  was  un- 
philosophical,  and  unscientific.  The  majority  of 
every  volunteer  army  in  the  Civil  War  was  not 
technically  military.  War  was  not  a  chosen  pro- 
fession with  them,  only  a  necessary  condition  for 
the  time  being.  As  said  by  General  Benjamin 
Harrison,  "The  problem  was  to  make  the  best  pos- 
sible soldier,  and  at  the  same  time  to  save  the 
citizen." 

THE    MEANING    OP    OUR    ORGANIZA- 
TION. 

We  are  formed  into  this  Society  of  the  Army 
of  the  Cumberland,  not  because  these  military 
achievements  were  deeds  of  cruel  warfare ;  not  be- 
cause of  mere  physical  triumph  over  the  foe,  who 
at  the  same  time  was  a  blood  relation,  but  because 
these  deeds  were  the  only  practical  methods  to 
win  an  enduring  peace  and  bring  back  that  con- 
dition of  civilized,  representative,  industrial  free- 
dom, crystalized  into  the  Union,  and  most  con- 
ducive to  the  physical,  intellectual,  and  ethical  ad- 


CHATTANOOGA     ADDRESS  231 

vancement,  of  not  only  this,  but  of  all  future  gen- 
erations of  Americans.  By  the  term  Americans 
is  meant  the  whole  people  without  distinction  of 
color,  race  or  sex.  Recognizing  that  nations  are 
built  up  by  productive  industry,  we  are  not  here 
to  advocate  war  in  any  other  sense  than  as  an 
avenue  to  peace.  For  this  purpose  it  is  necessary 
and  worthwhile.  The  forty-two  years  that  have 
come  and  gone,  since  the  close  of  the  Civil  War, 
bear  ample  witness,  in  the  facts  of  the  wonder- 
ful expansion  of  our  country  in  population  and 
wealth,  and  the  great  prosperity  of  the  common 
people,  in  the  south  as  well  as  in  the  north,  to  the 
immense  benefits  which  followed  the  re-establish- 
ment, on  a  firm  basis,  of  the  union  of  these  United 
States. 

We  know  that  these  results  followed  the  re- 
union of  the  States.  We  do  not  know  that  they 
would  have  followed  disunion.  The  death  of  se- 
cession, and  the  abolition  of  slavery,  were  worth 
the  war  which  so  thoroughly  accomplished  these 
two  things.  They,  and  not  the  love  of  war  in  it- 
self, were  the  final  aim  of  the  struggle  on  the  part 
of  the  Union  men. 

The  immense  destruction  of  life  and  property 
in  all  wars;  the  loss  to  the  people  in  material 
wealth  by  diverting  the  energies  from  the  chan- 
nels of  constructive  industry,  into  those  of  de- 
structive militarism;  and  the  wonderful  advance- 
ment in  all  ways  under  peace,  compared  to  the 


232  RANCHLIFE 

retrogression  under  the  reign  of  war,  we  hope  will 
postpone,  not  only  in  this  nation,  but  in  the  world 
at  large,  any  war,  until  all  other  means  have  been 
thoroughly  tried  and  exhausted.  The  history  of 
all  wars  teach  the  nations  the  necessity  for  finally 
abolishing  war  and  relying  upon  arbitration  in 
settling  all  questions  of  difference.  It  is  well 
known,  however,  that  the  Civil  War  was  the  last 
resort  after  all  other  means  to  preserve  the  Union 
had  been  exhausted;  it  was  a  justifiable  conflict 
for  the  object  obtained. 

EXTRACTS  FROM  FORMER 
ADDRESSES. 

At  the  meeting  of  our  society  in  September, 
1874,  Colonel  Stanley  Matthews  delivered  the  ad- 
dress. It  is  an  able,  philosophical  oration.  Among 
other  wise  things,  he  said:  (I  quote  him  in  sep- 
arate, unconnected  paragraphs.) 

"To  every  man  the  question  is  put,"  (he  was 
then  referring  to  the  beginning  of  the  war), 
"whether  he  would  continue  to  have  a  country,  or 
give  it  up ;  for  although,  whatever  the  result  might 
have  been,  new  allegiances  would  doubtless  have 
sprung  up ;  yet  the  old  one,  with  all  its  traditions 
and  aspirations,  would  have  been  annihilated  and 
to  us  and  our  people  the  old  one  was  the  only  pos- 
sible one."  But,  I  will  add,  "without  slavery." 

"The  seceding  states  had  no  just  cause  for 


CHATTANOOGA     ADDRESS  233 

complaint,"  (I  am  still  quoting),  "much  less  one 
justifying  separation — against  either  the  general 
government,  or  the  people  of  their  sister  states. 
The  successful  establishment  of  the  Southern 
Confederacy — so  far  as  human  speculation  can 
penetrate  a  hypothetical  future — meant  complete 
disintegration  and  the  rivalries  and  wars  of  the 
petty  states;  or  a  reconstruction  of  a  new  Union 
in  which  the  principles  of  personal  freedom 
should  be  subordinated  to  the  necessities  of  an  em- 
pire founded  expressly  for  the  perpetuation  of 
negro  slavery.  That  meant,  in  its  turn,  of  course, 
simply  a  new  rebellion  in  favor  of  human  liberty. 
Hence,  unless  all  history  be  a  lie  and  if  anything 
certain  can  be  predicted  of  our  knowledge  of 
human  nature,  the  war  sooner  or  later  was  inevi- 
table." 

This  meant  that  an  institution  so  firmly  recog- 
nized in  the  compromise  of  the  national  constitu- 
tion, and  established  so  widely  in  thirteen  states, 
as  slavery  then  was,  could  only  be  terminated  by 
the  arbitrament  of  war. 

Colonel  Matthews  further  says,  in  speaking 
of  the  Confederate  leaders  who  brought  on  the  re- 
bellion, "If  those  leaders  had  been  statesmen, 
with  sagacity  to  read  aright  the  lessons  of  their 
time,  they  would  have  prepared  a  peaceful  way  to 
the  inevitable  result,  and  set  their  house  in  order 
for  the  advent  of  its  new  master;  but  to  this 
height  they  could  not  rise.  They  deceived  none 


234  RANCHLIFE 

but  themselves  and  because  of  their  rage  and 
folly,  became  the  ministers  of  their  own  fate." 
The  following  paragraph,  though  written  only 
nine  years  after  the  close  of  the  war,  yet  is  just 
as  true  now,  forty-two  years  after. 

"During  the  progress  of  the  war  from  its  be- 
ginning to  its  end,  and  throughout  the  whole  per- 
iod since  elapsed,  there  has  not  been  a  time  when 
it  was  not  the  sincere  desire  of  the  people  of  the 
north,  that  the  southern  states  should  have  a 
share  in  their  prosperity,  and  recovering  from  the 
loss  and  waste  of  war,  and  the  confusion,  anarchy 
and  bad  government,  which  were  its  necessary, 
but  temporary  consequences,  reach  a  standard  of 
wealth,  security  and  happiness,  which  they  had 
never  before  attained.  Such,  I  am  sure  is  the 
prevailing  and  general  feeling  today.  The 
waste  of  war  is  repaired  by  the  arts  of  peace  in 
an  incredibly  short  time."  Is  not  this  apparent 
now  throughout  the  south? 

BENEFITS  OF  THE  WAR  TO  THE 
SOUTH. 

Time  has  shown  that  the  people  of  the  seceding 
states  have  been  great  gainers  by  the  war.  It  is 
not  to  be  asserted  that  the  comparatively  few 
slave-holders  were  gainers,  from  their  view  point. 
But  the  present  prosperous  condition  of  the  com- 


CHATTANOOGA     ADDRESS  235 

mercial,  agricultural  and  working  classes  in  the 
south,  together  with  the  growth  of  manufactur- 
ing, is  an  eloquent  tribute  to  the  final  results.  This 
fine  metropolis  of  Chattanooga,  one  of  the  indus- 
trial centers  of  the  whole  country,  would  be  im- 
possible under  slavery.  "Here,"  says  a  writer 
in  the  October,  1907,  number  of  the  "Taylor-Trot- 
wood  Magazine"  of  Nashville,  Tenn.,  "where  con- 
tending armies  had  striven  for  their  rights  not  half 
a  century  before,  what  a  change  has  come  over 
the  dream  of  their  desire!  A  change,  I  am 
bound  to  admit,  made  possible  by  defeat."  The 
production  of  cotton,  the  staple  which  was 
thought  to  depend  upon  slavery  for  its  profitable 
culture,  has  greatly  increased  under  free  labor. 
The  war  simply  changed  the  form  of  labor  from 
slave  to  free  and  left  it  where  it  was  before  the 
war,  where  it  has  done  more  in  connection  with 
white  labor,  for  the  real  prosperity  of  the  south 
in  forty-two  years,  than  it  did  under  slavery  for 
the  whole  time  of  its  existence.  Statistics  show 
the  immense  increase  of  production  in  the  south, 
without  the  aid  of  immigration,  to  be  phenomenal. 
Had  the  war  taken  away  from  the  south  its  ac- 
climated laborers,  the  south  may  now  think  that 
it  would  have  been  a  blessing ;  but  it  is  more  prob- 
able it  would  have  been  a  calamity.  The  disturb- 
ances caused  by  this  change  in  the  form  of  labor 
were  inevitable,  but  temporary.  Under  freedom, 
this  labor  can  become  more  and  more  efficient,  but 


236  RANCHLIFE 

under  slavery  its  production  would  have  re- 
mained practically  stationary. 

General  Thruston,  in  his  Toledo  address  in 
1890,  said,  "Union  and  freedom  are  better  than 
dismemberment  and  slavery — better  for  the 
south,  better  for  the  north,  better  for  mankind." 

In  a  late  article  in  "The  Taylor-Trotwood 
Magazine,"  John  Trotwood  Moore,  a  southerner, 
said,  "In  thinking  of  Stonewall  Jackson  and 
Johnson"  (Albert  Sidney)  "did  God  in  His  wis- 
dom know  it  was  best  that  the  Confederacy  should 
not  be,  as  we  all  now  know  it?" 

The  following  paragraphs  are  quoted  from 
General  Benjamin  Harrison's  oration  at  Toledo 
in  1880,  to  this  society: 

"When  we  must  forbear  to  speak  of  the  cause 
for  which  we  fought,  it  will  be  in  order  to  forbear 
to  mention  that  we  fought  at  all." 

He  said  further:  "We  have  believed,  and  I 
trust  the  faith  is  not  delusive,  that  the  war  settled 
some  questions  around  which  an  angry  debate  had 
long  raged.  Did  the  government  at  Washington 
occupy  its  forts,  arsenals  and  custom  houses,  in 
the  several  states,  by  lease,  terminal  at  the  will 
of  the  state  in  which  they  were  situated?  Did  it 
collect  custom  dues  and  exercise  judicial  func- 
tions, only  during  state  sufferance?  Was  the  al- 
legiance, and  service  of  the  citizen  due  to  it  direct- 
ly as  of  right,  or  might  he  be  absolved  from  both 
by  the  ordinances  of  a  state?  Might  it  pass  its 


CHATTANOOGA     ADDRESS  237 

soldiers  through  a  state  without  asking  the  per- 
mission of  the  state  authorities;  or  might  Mary- 
land and  Virginia  shut  out  the  gathering  army 
from  the  beleaguered  capitol?  Upon  these  vital 
questions  I  believe  the  country  will  insist  that  the 
debate  has  been  closed  forever.  No  appeal  lies 
from  Nashville,  no  writ  of  error  from  Appomat- 
tox.  The  creed  of  our  martyred  President  is  the 
people's  creed.  'I  hold/  said  Mr.  Lincoln  in  his 
inaugural,  'that  in  contemplation  of  universal  law 
and  of  the  constitution  the  union  of  these  states  is 
perpetual/ ' 

Quotations  have  been  made  from  addresses  de- 
livered long  years  ago.  Further  extracts  might  be 
made,  did  time  permit,  greatly  to  our  instruction, 
from  later  addresses,  but  the  members  of  this  so- 
ciety have  the  volumes.  They  contain  valuable 
treasures  of  history,  philosophy,  political  economy 
and  especially  the  science  of  "common  sense." 

THE  LEGAL  CLAIMS  FOR  SECESSION. 

The  Civil  War  showed,  not  that  the  National 
Constitution  was  inadequate,  as  a  charter  by 
which  to  guide  the  ship  of  state,  but  it  did  show 
the  weakness  still  abiding  in  the  human  intellect 
and  human  character,  when  that  charter  was 
given  a  construction  to  meet  an  unexpected  dan- 
ger. 


238  RANCHLIFE 

The  questions  just  quoted,  referred  to  by  Gen- 
eral Harrison  as  being  settled  by  the  Civil  War, 
are  those  depending  on  a  construction  of  certain 
articles  of  the  old  constitution.  On  these  matters 
no  change  has  been  made  since  the  war  in  the  ex- 
press terms  of  that  instrument.  The  only  amend- 
ments since  the  war,  to  the  written  constitution, 
are  the  13th,  14th  and  15th.  These  are  intended 
to  regulate  the  changed  relation  of  the  former 
slaves  whom  the  old  constitution  treated  as  chat- 
tels, not  as  citizens.  No  amendment  was  deemed 
necessary  regarding  secession.  When  our  Civil 
War  confronted  the  nation  it  was  immediately 
announced  by  the  then  executive  department  of 
the  government,  the  only  department  that  could 
exert  its  direct  power  to  suppress  the  rebellion, 
that  under  the  constitution,  a  state  could  not  be 
coerced.  President  Buchanan  ignored  the  fact 
that  the  people  of  a  state  were  first  the  citizens 
of  a  nation  and  could  lawfully  be  coerced  into 
obeying  the  national  constitution  and  laws,  for 
these  were  paramount  to  any  state  constitution 
and  law.  This,  of  course,  the  confederate  denies, 
but  he  can  not  at  the  same  time  deny  that  the  re- 
sult shows  that  the  construction  of  constitution 
and  laws  which  gave  union  instead  of  disunion,  ap- 
pears now  to  have  been  the  wiser.  But  as  rebellion 
waxed  in  strength  and  became  more  aggressive, 
after  Mr.  Lincoln  became  the  executive,  the  people 
of  the  north  and  the  Union  lovers  of  the  south  did 


CHATTANOOGA     ADDRESS  239 

not  care  whether  such  a  war-like  condition  was 
provided  for  in  the  constitution  or  not.  It  would 
have  been  unwise  to  mention  therein  the  possibil- 
ity of  the  dissolution  of  the  Union. 

There  must  abide  in  every  aggregate  of  people, 
who  have  evolved  into  a  nation,  so  virile  as  the 
United  States  then  was,  the  tacit  right  of  self- 
preservation.  And  if  the  written  charter  omitted 
to  provide  for  any  lurking  menace  that  might  arise 
against  the  integrity  of  such  a  union;  or  could 
it  be  construed  as  tacitly  allowing  such  an  anomaly 
as  secession,  the  people  determined  to  let  the  con- 
stitution remain  in  abeyance  until  the  danger 
should  be  destroyed.  Senator  Matthew  H.  Car- 
penter, of  Wisconsin,  declared  in  the  United  States 
Senate,  that  pending  a  state  of  civil  war  the  con- 
stitution was  in  abeyance,  and  this  was  the  bottom 
principle  of  Oliver  P.  Morton's  great  senatorial 
speech  on  Reconstruction. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  formulate  a  system 
of  government  by  a  written  constitution  provid- 
ing in  express  terms  against  every  future  danger. 
No  one  claims  that  our  representative  form  of  gov- 
ernment is  perfect.  A  government  by  the  ballot 
of  the  majority  could  only  become  perfect,  when 
the  individuals  composing  that  majority,  and  their 
chosen  representatives,  shall  attain  perfection. 
That  condition  may  never  be  reached.  But  we 
claim  that  a  representative  form  of  government 
is  the  best  adaptation  to  the  present  welfare  of  the 


240  RANCHLIFE 

common  people,  and  the  national  constitution  as 
now  amended  is  the  written  embodiment  of  it.  The 
process  of  its  improvement,  a  very  complex  one, 
depends  upon  a  parallel  growing  complexity  in  the 
human  brain,  and  an  increasing  and  more  effi- 
cient system  of  universal  education.  This  educa- 
tion should  not  be  confined  to  books,  but  reach  out 
to  facts,  natural  principles  and  proper  methods 
of  reasoning. 

HOW  THE  CIVIL  WAR  COULD  HAVE 
BEEN  PREVENTED. 

When  every  member  of  society  shall  be  in- 
tellectually convinced  that  there  is  no  effect  with- 
out its  natural  cause,  then  those  effects  whose 
cause  is  under  human  control  can  also  be  brought 
under  the  same  control.  The  natural  cause  of  the 
Civil  War  was  negro  slavery,  and  its  offense  to 
civilization.  The  war  never  would  have  occurred 
had  slavery  never  existed.  The  failure  of  the  sup- 
porters of  negro  slavery  to  perceive  that  it  could 
not  be  continued  in  the  face  of  almost  universal 
disapproval  throughout  the  civilized  world, 
brought  on  the  calamity  of  the  Civil  War.  In 
other  words,  the  principles  incorporated  into  the 
13th,  14th  and  15th  amendments  should  have  been 
made  a  part  of  the  constitution  at  the  time  of  its 
adoption  in  1789.  This  would  have  been  done, 
could  the  makers  of  the  constitution  have  forseen 
that  Civil  War  of  such  magnitude  must  come  in 


CHATTANOOGA     ADDRESS  241 

to,  for  any  cause?"  It  is  a  curious  fact  in  the 
time,  as  a  result  of  compromising  with  such  an 
institution.  So  that,  whenever  the  people  who 
control  affairs  shall  come  to  comprehend,  as  a  mat- 
ter of  course,  that  every  effect,  such  as  war,  has  a 
cause  under  their  control,  they  will  necessarily 
prevent  so  disastrous  an  effect  by  controlling  the 
cause.  In  proportion  as  this  active  wisdom  is  put 
into  operation  will  the  expense  and  annoyance  of 
reconstructive  legislation  be  eliminated. 

Men  capable  of  correctly  reasoning  out  to  a 
logical  conclusion  human  thoughts  and  actions,  re- 
quire no  other  guidance  to  keep  them  in  the 
straight  and  narrow  path.  True  righteousness 
follows  a  true  conception  of  cause  and  effect.  The 
Bourbon  dynasty  of  France  were  incapable  of 
perceiving  the  French  revolution  as  a  result  of 
their  selfish  policy.  In  every  nation  questions 
fully  as  important  as  that  of  negro  slavery  are 
confronting  those  who  have  the  power  to  solve 
them,  in  a  way  either  to  promote  a  desirable  ef- 
fect or  bring  a  disastrous  one. 

THE     PHILOSOPHY     OP     WAR. 

We  can  now  get  a  broader  and  truer  perspec- 
tive of  the  causes  and  results  of  the  Civil  War. 
Yet  higher  and  deeper  than  the  causes  of  a  single 
war,  there  rises  on  the  horizon  of  thought  the 
question,  "Why  an  armed  conflict  is  ever  resorted 
history  of  peoples  and  a  testimony  to  the  ex- 


242  RANCH     LIFE 

cessively  slow  evolution  of  the  reasoning  power 
of  the  human  brain,  that  war  has  been  the  actual 
occupation  of  individuals,  tribes  and  nations  much 
of  the  time  of  their  existence.  That  people  should 
go  to  killing  each  other  for  difference  of  opinions, 
or  for  trifling  misunderstandings,  or  for  the  ac- 
quisition of  property  or  trade,  can  be  explained 
only  on  the  principle  in  all  organic  life  of  the 
struggle  for  existence  and  the  survival  of  the  fit- 
test. The  fittest  always  has  made  and  always  will 
make  war  of  one  sort  or  another  on  the  unfit. 
Neither  the  evolution  of  reason,  nor  the  develop- 
ment of  consciousness  seems  to  do  more  than  mod- 
ify the  form  of  it.  Civilization  has  simply  refined 
the  cruelties  of  nature  and  of  barbarism.  Actual 
war  by  the  clash  of  arms  is  only  one  phase  of  the 
universal  struggle  for  existence  that  has  been  go- 
ing on  since  the  beginning  of  historical  time.  The 
evidence  constantly  before  our  eyes  of  all  organ- 
isms preying  on  each  other,  the  stronger  devour- 
ing the  weaker,  is  pretty  conclusive  evidence  that 
the  same  habit  existed  prior  to  historical  time. 

We  can  therefore  logically  conclude  that  such 
persistence  of  struggle  and  war  has  a  natural 
cause  most  likely  in  the  fact  that  in  proportion 
only  as  the  weak  and  vicious  are  eliminated  there 
will  be  progress  toward  the  strong  and  righteous. 

Not  only  the  better  adapted  in  animal  organ- 
isms, including  man,  but  the  fitter  forms  of  so- 
ciety, of  ethics,  of  religions  are  growing  and 


CHATTANOOGA     ADDRESS  243 

strengthening  at  the  expense  of  the  unfit.  This  is 
the  meaning  of  the  decay  of  former  civilizations, 
and  the  gradual  upbuilding  of  systems  better  suit- 
ed to  the  higher  welfare  of  the  individual  and  the , 
race.  It  is  the  world's  progress  from  darkness  to 
light.  In  the  struggle  between  freedom  and  slav- 
ery, freedom  will  always  prevail  in  the  end,  be- 
cause the  general  conditions  in  an  atmosphere  of 
freedom  are  more  compatible  with  the  strength 
and  welfare  of  society,  than  the  general  condi- 
tions of  slavery. 

By  constant  warfare  in  some  of  its  aspects 
have  the  peoples  of  the  earth  shaped  their  com- 
munities into  their  present  forms.  Every  nation, 
and  its  peculiar  civilization,  exist  today  by  virtue 
of  this  universal  struggle.  But  in  few  of  them  do 
the  people  yet  enjoy  in  full  measure  "life,  liberty 
and  the  pursuit  of  happiness."  Until  they  do  the 
struggle  will  continue. 

The  world  process  is  an  evolution,  through 
both  peaceful  changes  and  revolution.  War  has 
been  a  potent  factor,  which  may  become  less  and 
less  frequent,  but  only  as  man  becomes  more  intel- 
ligent. Knowledge  is  power;  but  it  must  be  the 
right  kind  of  knowledge.  It  must  be  knowledge 
of  nature  and  her  laws. 

Thanks  to  James  Watt,  the  discoverer  of  steam 
as  a  motive  power,  international  intercourse  at 
last  is  slowly  bringing  about  the  true  brotherhood 
of  man.  This  discovery,  which  seems  so  essential 


244  RANCH      LIFE 

was  made  only  after  the  coal  measures  of  the  earth 
had  remained  unutilized  since  the  carboniferous 
epoch,  and  thousands  of  years  after  man  had  be- 
come a  tool  making  biped.  Yet  its  present  appli- 
cation to  the  great  welfare  and  progress  of  man- 
kind is  paying  a  good  interest  for  the  whole  time, 
on  nature's  investment  of  carbon  in  that  far  off 
age.  Facility  of  intercourse  by  ocean  and  rail, 
is  teaching  all  nations,  and  all  peoples,  that  some 
differences,  which  heretofore  engendered  hate  and 
war,  can  be  remedied  by  peaceful  means;  that  in 
all  the  fundamental  and  essential  humanitarian 
principles  mankind  are  the  same  everywhere.  The 
golden  rule  is  the  one  common  creed  of  all  relig- 
ions. When  these  ideas  begin  to  take  possession 
of  nations,  a  Hague  Peace  Conference  results. 
That  tribunal  is  yet  only  tentative,  but  we  may 
well  watch  its  growth.  This  growth  will  be  slow, 
until  monarchy  ceases  to  dominate  it.  At  first  it 
will  formulate  more  humane  laws  of  war;  it  will 
undertake  to  maintain  the  present  balance  of 
power.  Disarmament  is  now  opposed  by  those 
who  dominate  on  sea  and  land.  It  will  at  first  be 
left  to  the  option  of  the  different  powers  whether 
in  any  special  emergency  they  will  obey  its  rules 
or  not.  It  will  take  a  long  period  to  bring  them 
to  the  right  point  of  agreeing  to  the  absolute  rule 
of  justice,  and  doing  the  right  for  the  right's  sake. 
It  is  plain  that  these  results  cannot  come  until 
the  people  rule  themselves. 


THE  BASIS  OF  REPRESENTATIVE 
GOVERNMENT 


The  following  paper  was  read  before  the 
Eclectic  Club  of  Pueblo : 

The  broader  and  deeper  the  foundations  of  a 
representative  government  are  laid  the  higher  the 
superstructure  will  eventually  rise.  It  does  not 
follow  from  this  that  every  people  is  at  present 
fitted  to  adopt  this  form  of  government.  But  every 
people  if  left  to  a  free  choice  instinctively  adopts 
the  form  of  government  best  fitted  to  their  condi- 
tion of  mental  development.  The  strength  of  it 
depends  upon  this  natural  co-ordination  of  intel- 
lectual conception  and  sociological  functions.  The 
Arab  who  wanders  in  tribes  on  a  desert,  or  the 
American  Indian  who  leads  a  hunter's  life  could 
not  tolerate  a  civilized  form  of  permanent  govern- 
ment, in  which  lying,  stealing  and  murder  are 
prohibited.  Nor  could  an  Englishman,  nor  an 
American  endure  the  life  of  an  Arab  or  an  Indian. 
We  must  always  remember  that  governments  are 
formed  not  for  experimenting  in  high  ideals,  for- 
mulated by  scholars  and  philosophers,  but  for  the 
material  interests  of  the  members;  that  the 


246  RANCH      LIFE 

phrase  "Life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  happi- 
ness," used  in  our  declaration  of  independence, 
means  only  this:  Everywhere  on  the  earth,  so- 
ciety is  made  up  of  all  classes  of  both  sexes,  from 
the  most  ignorant  up  to  the  most  intellectual.  Each 
member  of  it  stands  the  equal  of  every  other  in 
the  right  to  life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happi- 
ness. To  this  assertion  should  also  be  added  that 
each  one  has  an  equal  right  to  the  full  enjoyments 
of  the  products  of  his  own  labor,  manual  and 
mental.  These  are  the  principles  that  should  lie 
at  the  foundation  of  every  representative  govern- 
ment, and  in  order  to  preserve  them  each  member 
of  all  classes  should  have  an  equal  share  in  the 
making  and  executing  of  the  laws  which  are  sup- 
posed to  be  enacted  for  their  preservation.  Let  us 
consider  for  a  few  minutes  how  far  this  is  done  in 
the  most  representative  government,  that  of  the 
United  States. 

In  the  American  colonies  from  1619  to  1789 
there  was  more  or  less  restriction  upon  the  voting 
franchise.  At  first  in  Virginia  and  New  England 
nearly  all  the  male  inhabitants  had  a  voice  in  pub- 
lic affairs.  Nearly  all  the  settlers  were  English- 
men whose  views  upon  all  questions  of  general  im- 
port to  the  community  at  large,  coincided.  But 
when  men  of  other  blood  and  other  religious  opin- 
ions, together  with  "indented  servants/'  trans- 
ported felons  and  negroes,  came  in,  electoral  qual- 
ifications varied  greatly.  The  most  prominent 


BASIS    OF    GOVERNMENT  247 

tests  for  voting  were  religious  professions  and 
possession  of  property.  But  in  1789,  when  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States  was  adopted, 
there  was  nothing  said  in  that  instrument  about 
the  qualifications  of  voters.  That  regulation  was 
reserved  to  the  states,  each  deciding  the  matter  in 
its  own  way.  The  election  of  president  and  mem- 
bers of  congress  was  and  is  the  act  of  the  aggre- 
gate body  of  voters,  qualified  by  the  laws  of  the 
several  states.  The  religious  test  did  not  long  sur- 
vive. Massachusetts  repealed  hers  as  early  as 
1664.  Perhaps  no  religious  test  now  exists  in  this 
country.  The  last  survival  of  it  was  that  of  the 
old  constitution  of  South  Carolina.  It  was  omit- 
ted in  the  new  one  adopted  in  1790.  The  wording 
was  "every  white  freeman  who  acknowledges  the 
being  of  a  God  and  believes  in  a  future  state  of 
rewards  and  punishments."  A  property,  or  tax 
qualification  had  a  more  persistent  life. 

Independence  from  British  authority  brought 
about  some  extension  of  the  suffrage,  not  to  any 
distinct  class,  but  by  reducing  the  number  of  tests. 
The  revolutionary  statesmen  were  not  consistent 
in  practically  carrying  out  their  declaration  in 
theory,  that  all  governments  should  derive  their 
powers  from  the  consent  of  the  governed.  How- 
ever, from  1739  to  1884  freehold  franchise  had 
gradually  given  away,  in  most  of  the  states,  to 
what  was  called  manhood  suffrage.  That  is,  all 
native  born  white  males  of  age  were  allowed  to 


248  RANCHLIFE 

vote  upon  taking  the  freeman's  oath.  Finally, 
after  the  Civil  War,  under  the  reconstruction  acts, 
the  former  slave  states  extended  the  suffrage  to 
the  black  males  of  age.  The  fifteenth  amendment 
prescribed,  not  a  qualification  for  voters,  but  a 
penalty  of  a  proportional  reduction  in  the  repre- 
sentatives in  the  lower  house  of  congress  of  any 
states  that  should  make  a  discrimination  against 
former  slaves  as  voters.  This  was  the  first  ex- 
tension of  the  franchise  in  this  country  that  in- 
cluded a  great  number,  or  class.  As  is  well 
known,  this  has  now  been  practically  annulled  by 
every  former  slave  state.  As  a  class  the  former 
slaves  have  been  disfranchised.  Every  one  con- 
cedes the  propriety  of  excluding  minors  and  the 
mentally  impotent.  Therefore,  the  question  to  dis- 
cuss in  this  paper  is  the  propriety  of  re-enfran- 
chising the  blacks  and  extending  the  suffrage  to 
the  gentler  sex.  With  these  extensions  made,  our 
government  would  then  be  a  democracy,  not  only 
in  name,  but  really  one  where  the  power  of  gov- 
ernment would  be  derived  from  the  consent  of  the 
governed. 

There  is  also  the  question  which  is  occasionally 
mentioned,  viz. :  that  of  restricting  the  franchise 
by  a  property  qualification,  or  an  educational  test. 
It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  discuss  the  futility  of  a 
property  or  tax  qualification.  This  has  generally 
been  abandoned,  because  the  practical  working  of 
such  a  test  showed  its  impotency  in  raising  the 


BASIS    OF    GOVERNMENT  249 

efficiency  of  the  ballot.  Office  seekers,  or  others 
interested,  paid  the  tax  or  transferred  sufficient 
property  temporarily  to  enable  the  disfranchised 
to  vote.  But  the  great  objection  to  this  test  is  that 
governments  are  and  should  be  instituted  for  the 
protection  and  guarantee  of  personal  rights  to  a 
much  larger  extent  than  for  the  enforcement  of 
property  rights.  Until  education  becomes  more 
universal  there  will  be  a  large  amount  of  ignor- 
ance of  book  knowledge  among  men  and  women. 
But  books  are  made  from  knowledge  first  obtained 
without  them.  Intelligence  and  power  to  act  for 
the  best  interests  of  the  community  are  not  neces- 
sarily derived  from  books.  It  has  been  truly  said 
that  "the  man  who  is  on  to  his  job  is  educated." 
To  understand  his  personal  and  property  rights, 
and  therefore  the  rights  of  others,  it  is  not  essen- 
tial that  a  man  should  read  and  write  any  Ian- 
gauge.  But  it  would  be  better  if  he  were  educated 
in  books  provided  the  book  knowledge  consisted  of 
the  practical  duties  of  citizenship  and  the  real 
rights  of  man. 

It  has  been  frequently  said  that  the  men  who 
sell  their  votes  for  money  are  ignorant  men  and 
therefore  an  educational  qualification  should  be 
required.  But  whoever  sells  his  vote  is  being  paid 
by  an  educated  man.  The  crime  of  buying  in  this 
case  is  worse  than  the  selling.  And  in  nearly  all 
cases  the  office  seeker  who  is  being  elected  by 
the  corruption  of  the  franchise  is  himself  what  is 


250  RANCH      LIFE 

termed  an  educated  man.  But  that  fact  does  not 
prevent  him,  when  elected  by  such  votes,  availing 
himself  of  such  support  to  plunder  the  people  in 
the  exercise  of  his  office,  nor,  if  a  legislator  does 
it  prevent  him  from  enacting  bad  laws.  A  fuller 
discussion  of  the  educational  test,  than  the  limit 
of  this  paper  will  permit,  would  show  that  the 
most  of  the  oppression  and  injustice  of  govern- 
ment are  accomplished  by  the  so-called  educated. 
Book  knowledge  does  not  change  the  organic  dis- 
honesty of  any  brain.  It  only  multiplies  the  aven- 
ues of  its  exploitations.  Lincoln  Steffens  has  an 
article  in  McClure's  for  February,  1905,  exposing 
the  rottenness  of  politics  in  Rhode  Island. 

"The  Public"  makes  this  comment  on  it :  "This 
story  has  several  lessons.  The  most  important  is 
its  deadly  comment  upon  the  pleasant  notion  that 
government  by  the  'better  classes'  would  be  better 
government.  Rhode  Island  is  governed  by  the 
'better  classes.'  But  if  there  is  a  more  putres- 
cent  government  in  the  whole  country,  no  one  has 
yet  discovered  it.  The  more  the  facts  are  known 
the  clearer  does  the  truth  become,  as  Jenkin  Lloyd 
Jones  declared  it  at  the  Russian  sympathy  meet- 
ing in  Chicago  last  Sunday,  but  although  govern- 
ment by  all  the  people  is  far  from  perfect,  history 
tells  of  no  other  kind  of  government  as  good." 

Of  course,  as  near  as  possible,  the  people  of  a 
democracy  should  have  a  united  political  aim,  and 
that  is  the  maintenance  of  the  form  of  govern- 


BASIS    OF    GOVERNMENT  251 

ment.  Therefore,  immigrants  should  be  excluded 
from  the  franchise  until  they  become  citizens  and 
thus  show  that  they  have  the  same  motives  and 
aims  that  natives  have.  So  far  the  foreign  immi- 
gration into  the  United  States  has  been  a  great 
success.  Those  who  remain  and  become  citizens 
are  loyal  and  patriotic.  They  are  the  most  in- 
dustrious part  of  our  population. 

Any  representative  government  should  be  a 
reflection  of  the  average  desires  and  needs  of  its 
people.  It  cannot  be  long  bad  for  that  people,  for 
in  a  government  like  ours  the  average  of  intelli- 
gence and  proper  conception  of  human  rights  is 
always  rising.  A  readjustment  of  means  to  ends 
is  therefore  habitual.  These  adjustments  cannot 
be  made  without  friction.  There  will  always  be 
the  large  number  who  cannot  quite  comprehend 
the  fundamental  principles,  and  of  course,  misuse 
the  power  of  franchise.  There  will  be  the  smaller 
class  of  idealists  who  shoot  over  the  heads  of  the 
masses  expecting  all  people  to  be  philosophers.  It 
is  likely  that  the  true  mean  lies  in  giving  a  voice 
to  every  sane  person  of  mature  age  who  works  in 
harmony  with  the  general  welfare. 

Upon  an  examination  of  the  conditions  in  our 
great  free  United  States,  it  is  a  paradox  that  what 
our  fathers  declared,  viz. :  "That  all  governments 
derive  their  just  powers  from  the  consent  of  the 
governed,"  is  not  carried  out.  More  than  half  of 
the  people  are  excluded  from  the  franchise  by 


252  RANCH      LIFE 

either  color  or  sex.  The  same  arguments  are  be- 
ing used  in  opposition  to  the  extension  of  the  fran- 
chise to  these  two  classes  that  have  always  been 
urged  by  the  governing  power  throughout  Christ- 
endom in  opposition  to  any  extension.  But  at  the 
bottom  the  real  reason  why  those  in  power  oppose 
it  is  that  each  extension  loosens  the  power  of  the 
few  over  the  rights  of  the  many. 

Every  thoughtful  American  can  perceive  there 
is  yet  lacking  in  our  laws  a  proper  balance  be- 
tween the  conservation  of  personal  rights  and  the 
undue  care  the  law  and  the  lawmakers  give  to 
mere  property  rights.  It  may  be  that  a  widen- 
ing of  the  voting  power  to  those  classes  who  have 
more  of  the  very  important  rights  of  the  person 
than  the  rights  of  property  to  protect,  would  tend 
to  change  this  balance  to  the  side  of  justice.  It 
may  be  true  that  the  two  disfranchised  classes  at 
present  are  ignorant  of  this  condition  of  the 
economic  balance  of  the  laws  of  our  country; 
yet  they  belong  to  the  propertyless  citizenship. 
Whenever  the  privilege  and  responsibility  of 
suffrage  are  placed  upon  them,  they  begin  to  ex- 
ercise a  power  that  tends  toward  their  enlighten- 
ment as  to  the  real  meaning  of  representative 
government.  Of  course,  the  process  may  be  slow. 
It  may  take  a  long  time  before  their  ballots  may 
become  effective  along  these  lines ;  yet  there  is  no 
other  process  that  can  be  substituted  for  the  ballot 
that  will  be  so  effective.  Many  of  the  negroes 


BASIS    OF    GOVERNMENT  253 

may  for  a  long  time  sell  their  votes  to  the  highest 
bidder.  The  only  use  the  ex-slaves  could  see  for 
freedom  at  first  was  to  get  a  living  without  work. 
Their  naivete  argument  was  that  if  they  had  to 
work  for  a  living  they  saw  no  difference  between 
working  as  a  slave  and  a  freeman.  But  there  is 
an  immense  difference.  Such  colored  men  as 
Booker  Washington  finally  saw  it  and  are  now  fast 
educating  the  colored  population  into  a  knowledge 
of  the  possibilities  and  advantages  of  free  labor. 
They  could  not  do  this  had  slavery  been  continued, 
but  in  that  event  any  change  from  the  former 
mental  paralysis  would  be  hopeless.  Selling  their 
votes  is  an  infinite  advance  on  the  part  of  the 
black  men  from  selling  their  bodies  and  labor. 
Under  freedom  and  the  power  of  suffrage  they 
will  gradually  grow  out  of  the  bondage  of  ignor- 
ance and  corruption,  but  not  without  both  freedom 
and  suffrage.  In  fact  they  are  not  free  without 
the  suffrage. 

The  negroes  of  the  south  wherever  they  have 
opportunity  are  improving  by  schools,  but  faster 
by  being  thrown  upon  their  own  responsibility  in 
making  a  living.  They  are  now  making  good 
soldiers  in  the  regular  army.  "There  are  nine 
million  two  hundred  and  four  thousand  five  hun- 
dred and  thirty-one  negroes  in  the  United  States, 
including  Porto  Rico  and  Hawaii.  Nine-tenths  of 
them  live  in  the  south — one-third  of  its  popula- 
tion. Seventy-seven  per  cent  work  on  seven  hun- 


254  RANCH     LIFE 

dred  and  forty-six  thousand  farms,  of  which  twen- 
ty-one per  cent  are  absolutely  and  four  per  cent 
partially  owned  by  negroes.  There  are  twenty-one 
thousand  negro  carpenters,  twenty  thousand  bar- 
bers and  nearly  as  many  doctors,  sixteen  thousand 
ministers,  fifteen  thousand  masons,  twelve  thou- 
sand dressmakers,  ten  thousand  engineers  and 
firemen,  five  thousand  shoemakers,  four  thousand 
musicians,  two  thousand  actors  and  show-men, 
one  thousand  lawyers  (which  seems  too  many.) 
Since  1890  negro  illiteracy  has  shrunk  from  fifty- 
seven  to  forty-four  and  five-tenths  per  cent.  Sta- 
tistics are  rather  stupid  fellows,  but  these  look 
bright  and  full  of  hope." — (Extract  from  Every- 
body's Magazine.) 

Former  slave  holders,  who  brought  them  from 
their  native  wilderness  and  made  slaves  of  them 
in  such  immense  numbers  are  thereby  estopped 
from  complaining,  that  they  are  here  and  part  of 
the  people  to  be  reckoned  with  as  persons  who 
have  personal  rights.  These  former  masters  seem 
to  think  that  the  negroes  have  no  rights  unless 
they  can  change  their  color  and  become  refined 
and  intellectual  in  a  single  generation. 

If  these  negroes  were  not  here,  but  were  now 
liable  to  come  here  from  Central  Africa  in  any 
numbers  of  their  own  accord  an  efficient  exclusion 
act  would  be  desirable.  But  they  are  here  in  im- 
mense numbers,  brought  against  their  consent. 
They  speak  our  language,  as  a  result  of  slavery 


BASIS    OF    GOVERNMENT  255 

are  dreadfully  ignorant,  uncouth,  as  a  matter  of 
course,  with  no  proper  sense  of  rights  of  prop- 
erty or  of  the  white  man's  morality,  but  fast  learn- 
ing it  all.  They  have  already  learned  all  of  the 
white  man's  injustice,  oppression  and  the  most 
of  his  immorality.  The  problem  is  to  make  the 
best  terms  with  the  conditions.  Their  legal  and 
political  rights  will  be  better  cared  for  in  their 
own  keeping  than  in  the  keeping  of  their  former 
masters  or  any  other  persons.  Of  course  they  will 
blunder  and  fall.  But  even  then  it  is  better  to 
persist  in  the  correct  principle,  even  if  all  of 
them  should  be  incarcerated  once  a  year  for  mis- 
demeanors and  crimes.  It  is  "the  white  man's 
burden,"  picked  up  so  eagerly  by  him  in  Africa, 
which  he  is  now  so  anxiously  trying  to  unload, 
but  which  he  finds  has  turned  to  an  "old  man  of 
the  sea"  to  ride  on  his  neck  until  nature  has  been 
sufficiently  revenged  for  the  unspeakable  crime  of 
slavery. 

If  in  the  twentieth  century  female  suffrage 
should  be  accomplished  it  must  be  done  by  thrust- 
ing it  upon  the  gentler  sex,  for  they  show  a  won- 
derful apathy  concerning  it  and  even  where  it  is 
in  force,  as  in  Colorado,  there  is  apparently  small 
appreciation  of  the  great  moral  power  it  is  capa- 
ble of  becoming.  This  is  a  discouraging  feature. 
Perhaps  a  majority  of  the  women  do  not  want  or 
do  not  care  for  the  voting  franchise  but  reforma- 
tion in  the  franchise  will  eventually  come  by  their 


256  RANCHLIFE 

use  of  the  ballot.  I  think  most  of  the  women  in 
Colorado  vote  at  all  the  elections.  It  may  be  that 
changes  for  the  better  in  our  politics  have  not  yet 
come  with  woman  suffrage.  But  time  will  work 
wonders.  Locally  when  the  women  once  under- 
stand that  a  candidate  for  office  is  immoral  they 
will  defeat  him.  As  a  class  they  do  not  yet  com- 
prehend in  the  slightest  degree  the  great  power 
of  organization,  nor  the  real  necessity  for  voting 
independent  of  politics.  Most  men  do  not.  But 
these  achievements  will  come  eventually  and 
women  can  always  be  trusted  as  a  class  to  vote 
in  the  way  they  think  the  interests  of  their  chil- 
dren lie.  It  has  been  said  that  politics  unsexes 
the  woman.  It  may  be;  cases  can  be  cited  where 
the  privilege  has  brought  forward  those  on  whom 
sex  hung  very  lightly  before.  But  we  have  seen 
thousands  of  them  quietly  exercising  the  suffrage 
as  modestly  and  unassumingly  as  they  do  all  other 
duties. 

We  cannot  attribute  any  of  the  present  politi- 
cal ills  in  Colorado  to  women  suffrage.  It  is  here 
to  stay,  and  it  would  be  wise  for  other  states  to 
follow  our  example,  whether  the  women  express 
a  desire  for  it  or  not.  It  is  the  introduction  of  an 
element  into  the  political  conditions  that  can  work 
no  harm  to  the  state,  and  that  is  capable  of  be- 
coming in  time  a  great  factor  for  purity  and  re- 
finement, and  therefore  of  strength. 

As  the  human  brain  is  evolved  into  a  higher 


BASIS    OF    GOVERNMENT  257 

and  broader  correspondence  with  the  facts  of 
natural  ethics,  in  the  same  proportion  one  per- 
ceives that  his  own  individual  welface  depends 
upon  the  universal  principle  of  welfare  to  every 
individual.  The  ultimate  goal  of  evolution  in  this 
direction  is  that  the  social  compact  must  be  based 
upon  the  broadest  reach  of  the  voting  power  to 
every  mature  and  sane  member  who  bears  any  of 
the  burdens  of  government,  and  who  has  either 
the  rights  of  person  or  property  to  maintain. 


MISCELLANIES 


OUR    NEGRO    CITIZENS 


It  is  interesting  to  observe  the  evolution  of  the 
citizenship  of  the  freed  colored  race  in  this  coun- 
try since  the  Civil  War. 

The  progress  made  by  it  has  been,  in  the  ag- 
gregate, phenomenal.  In  viewing  this  progress, 
consideration  must  be  given  to  the  conditions  of 
the  race  in  the  country  of  its  origin  and  the  fur- 
ther fact  that  until  1865  it  was  held  in  slavery  in 
the  southern  states.  At  the  period  of  their  emanci- 
pation scarcely  any  of  the  colored  people  could 
read  or  write  and  few  were  possessed  of  any 
property.  The  slave  states  prohibited  them  by 
law  from  acquiring  either  property  or  education. 
Neither  had  they  to  any  great  extent  been  trained 
in  any  skilled  labor.  The  industry  required  by  the 
slave  owner  and  most  profitable  to  him,  was  the 
agriculture  adapted  to  cotton  raising.  That  was 
done  without  skill.  The  method  was  the  crude  one 
of  raising  a  crop  of  cotton,  year  after  year,  until 
the  soil  was  practically  exhausted.  So  that  the 
colored  race  forty-six  years  ago  in  this  country 
stood  without  resources  other  than  the  power  to 
work  with  his  hands,  not  with  his  head,  at  only 


OUR    NEGRO    CITIZENS  261 

the  unskilled  and  menial  occupations.  It  was 
therefore  impossible  for  a  man  with  a  black  skin 
to  enter  at  once,  when  freedom  came  to  him,  into 
competition  in  any  trade  or  business  with  a  white 
man.  He  was  looked  upon  by  the  community  as 
fit  only  for  a  slave,  as  having  no  claims  upon  the 
wealth  his  hands  had  produced  for  an  opportunity 
to  make  his  way  in  the  world.  From  this  view- 
point how  could  the  thoughtful  white  man  expect 
that  the  negro  could  possibly  make  the  progress 
he  has  made  since  the  civil  war?  It  is  pitiful  to 
hear  an  opinion  many  times  expressed,  especially 
in  the  old  slave-holding  states,  that  the  race  has 
made  no  advancement,  and  that  it  is  not  worthy  of 
being  educated  like  the  white  race.  Those  who 
express  this  opinion  declare  that  it  is  not  intelli- 
gent enough  to  have  the  voting  franchise,  and  at 
the  same  time  would  deprive  it  of  the  means  of 
education.  But  in  the  face  of  such  opposition,  it 
is  a  well  known  fact  that  the  negro  race  has  made 
remarkable  advance  in  both  education  and  the  ac- 
quisition of  property.  It  is  pretty  certain  that 
had  the  white  race  been  in  exactly  the  same  con- 
dition that  the  negro  race  was  forty-six  years  ago, 
mentally  and  morally,  it  would  have  made  no  more 
progress  than  has  the  negro  race.  It  is  surpris- 
ing to  see  the  evident  success  of  the  Hampton 
School  at  Hampton,  Va.  There  are  several  hun- 
dred colored  boys  and  girls  being  educated  in  use- 
ful industries.  Booker  Washington's  school  in 


262  RANCH      LIFE 

Alabama  is  a  wonderful  success.  There  are  others 
in  the  south,  and  the  colored  people  are  eager  for 
education  along  industrial  lines.  The  southern 
states  could  make  no  better  investment  than  to  es- 
tablish enough  schools  of  the  Tuskegee  type  to 
give  every  colored  boy  and  girl  a  practical  and 
technical  education,  sufficient  to  enable  him  to 
earn  an  honorable  and  self-respecting  living,  and 
at  the  same  time  to  fit  him  for  exercising  the  vot- 
ing franchise  in  an  intelligent  and  upright  way. 
The  manual  labor  of  the  south  is  mostly  colored. 
Its  efficiency  is  in  exact  proportion  to  the  acquired 
intelligence  of  the  workers.  To  deprive  these 
workers  of  the  means  of  making  that  labor  skill- 
ful and  profitable  by  the  use  of  industrial  and 
scientific  schools,  is  a  policy  so  short  sighted  that 
one  stands  amazed  that  the  southern  white  people 
take  so  little  interest  in  a  subject  of  so  great  mo- 
ment to  themselves.  The  very  crimes  which  the 
white  southern  people  most  detest  are  committed, 
not  by  the  educated,  but  the  ignorant  negroes,  and 
by  only  a  very  few  of  these.  The  situation  shows 
that  the  progress  made,  and  to  be  made,  arises 
largely  out  of  the  effort  and  determination  of 
the  colored  people  themselves.  They  are  receiv- 
ing some  help  from  white  philanthropists,  but 
not  enough.  They  have  this  consolation,  that 
when  they  have  once  risen  to  the  ultimate  power, 
always  gained  by  successful  peoples,  after  their 
struggles  for  industrial  and  political  emancipa- 


OUR    NEGRO    CITIZENS  263 

tion,  there  will  be  less  likelihood  of  reaction, 
or  of  weak  conditions,  than  if  they  had  a 
surplus  of  opportunity  thrust  upon  them,  with- 
out such  effort  on  their  part.  The  colored 
race  can  now  point  to  individual  instances  of 
conspicuous  achievement,  but  the  main  goal — 
the  elevation  of  the  race  in  citizenship  and  in- 
dustrial power — should  be  the  constant  aim. 
Fortunately  as  a  class  it  is  hopeful  and  humble. 
It  is  not  combative,  nor  impatient;  and  when  one 
of  its  members  performs  a  notable  act,  such  as 
sharing  with  Peary  the  honor  of  reaching  the 
North  Pole,  there  is  no  offensive  boastfulness. 
They  have  quite  universally  been  deprived  of  the 
voting  privilege  in  the  south,  which  the  law  gave 
them,  yet  they  do  not  disturb  the  peace  and  quiet 
of  the  land,  as  would  the  white  race,  under  similar 
circumstances.  They  will  recover  the  franchise 
sometime,  and  much  sooner  by  patient  effort  to  fit 
themselves  better  for  it,  than  if  they  tried  by 
force,  to  recover  it.  "All  things  come  to  him  who 
waits." 

There  are  a  number  of  farms  on  the  Virginia 
peninsula  now  owned  by  colored  men.  The  land 
is  generally  worn  out.  The  crops  look  poor  to  a 
Coloradoan.  There  is  no  evidence  of  great  wealth. 
But  the  very  fact  of  ownership  in  the  soil,  al- 
though so  poor,  gives  the  farmer  a  feeling  of  in- 
dependence. In  time  they  will  be  able  to  fertilize 
the  farms  and  raise  crops  that  will  furnish  them  a 


264  RANCH      LIFE 

surplus.  The  lessons  in  scientific  agriculture, 
taught  at  Hampton,  Tuskegee  and  other  schools 
will  some  day  bring  these  old  wornout  lands  into 
greater  production,  than  they  were  in  old  slave 
days,  and  the  descendants  of  the  present  colored 
owners  will  be  the  "lords  of  the  manor.'* 

The  prospects  of  the  colored  people  are  much 
better  when  they  are  located  in  the  north  in  small 
numbers.  The  laws  of  Colorado  give  them  the 
franchise,  and  there  is  no  disposition  to  deprive 
them  of  it.  The  voting  franchise  in  this  state  is 
now  about  as  universal  as  it  well  can  be.  It  is  legal 
to  all  people  of  mature  age,  irrespective  of  sex, 
or  color,  who  have  lived  in  the  state  a  sufficient 
length  of  time.  The  power  of  this  great  body  of 
voters  has  been  greatly  enlarged  by  the  law  giv- 
ing it  the  right  of  the  referendum,  and  initiative, 
and  the  recall.  The  new  charter  of  the  City  of 
Pueblo  increases  that  power,  so  that  here  we  have 
in  reality  "a  government  by  the  people,  of  the 
people,  and  for  the  people,"  to  a  much  larger  ex- 
tent than  in  most  other  communities.  So  much 
power  brings  a  corresponding  responsibility, 
which  requires  for  its  proper  exercise  the  utmost 
care  and  study.  Such  enlarged  rights  and  powers 
present  a  condition  which  will  produce  the  higher 
type  of  manhood,  and  the  most  satisfactory  op- 
portunities for  individual  achievement. 


REMARKS  MADE  AT  THE  SEMI-CENTENNIAL 

RE-UNION  AT  CLERMONT  ACADEMY 

OF  OHIO  IN  1887 


(This  academy  was  established  in  1837  by 
James  K.  Parker,  who  was  still  the  principal  of 
the  school  at  this  reunion.  It  was  beautifully 
located  on  the  Ohio  river,  twenty  miles  east  of 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in  Clermont  County.  The  writer 
attended  this  school  for  three  years  during  his 
boyhood.  He  remembers  it  now  with  great  af- 
fection.) 

In  1829  Carlyle  called  this  a  mechanical  age. 
If  he  lived  at  the  present  time  he  would  still  ad- 
here to  that  definition.  For  while  the  steam  en- 
gine had  at  that  time  been  invented,  electricity 
was  not  yet  under  control  and  no  Edison  had  actu- 
ally made  a  profession  of  electrical  invention.  So 
much  has  been  done  in  material  progress  in  the 
last  fifty  years,  that  not  only  do  we  cross  the  con- 
tinents and  oceans  by  machinery,  but  all  business, 
all  professions  and  our  very  senses  are  run  by  it. 
Hearing  has  been  enlarged  beyond  the  sphere  of 
vision  by  the  telephone,  while  the  phonograph  and 
the  graphophone  convey  our  voices  and  speech 
to  the  remotest  points  of  the  compass.  The  heat 


266  RANCH      LIFE 

that  warms  us  and  the  light  that  turns  night  into 
day  are  produced  by  machinery.  We  have  what 
are  called  machine  governments,  machine  politics, 
and  too  much  machine  religion.  Education  is  get- 
ting to  be  too  mechanical.  The  public  school  suf- 
fers by  machine  politics.  Letter  writing  is  done 
by  machinery,  though  it  is  not  conceivable  that  a 
real  sympathetic  love  letter  such  as  we  composed 
in  old  times,  say  thirty-five  years  ago,  could  be 
dictated  to  a  short  hand  expert  or  struck  off  by  the 
private  secretary  on  the  typewriter.  The  grapho- 
phone  might  do  for  this  purpose,  for  with  this  one 
not  only  conveys  the  language  of  affection,  but  the 
tones  of  the  sympathetic  voice  without  the  inter- 
position of  a  third  person. 

What  strides  has  material  progress  made  in 
half  a  century!  Geography  has  to  be  re-con- 
structed every  five  years.  Cities  and  states  more 
populous  than  any  that  existed  fifty  years  ago, 
outside  of  New  York,  have  developed  upon  what 
our  school  atlases  taught  us  then  was  the  great 
American  Desert. 

Reading  is  now  taught  before  spelling,  though 
the  alphabet  has  not  yet  been  abolished.  Arith- 
metic, I  believe,  remains  about  the  same  as  then. 
Two  and  two  still  make  four.  But  the  combina- 
tions that  are  made  with  figures  in  these  days 
were  unheard  of  in  our  school  days.  The  differ- 
ential rates  of  common  carriers ;  the  figuring  that 
shows  it  is  worth  much  more  to  haul  a  short  dis- 


CLERMONT    ACADEMY  267 

tance  on  a  railroad  than  a  long  one;  that  a  man 
who  lives  like  a  millionaire  may  yet  have  no  prop- 
erty to  tax  are  problems  untaught  in  our  simpler 
times.  Writing  with  pen  and  ink  will  soon  be  a 
lost  art. 

Now  if  the  three  Rs  are  superseded,  what  will 
be  left  worth  going  to  school  for?  How  much 
above  these  do  many  of  us  who  left  school  thirty- 
four  years  ago  remember?  Have  we  looked  in  our 
algebras  and  chemistries  since?  Can  we  still  dem- 
onstrate the  problems  of  Euclid  or  repeat  the 
Greek  alphabet  ?  Yes !  Those  of  us  who  were  fortu- 
nate enough  to  attend  Clermont  Academy  have 
something  more  than  these  to  remember.  There 
are  some  truths  which  the  Moloch  of  machinery  is 
unable  to  "crush  to  earth."  It  is  possible  for  mech- 
anism of  man  to  produce  a  perfectly  formed  grain 
of  wheat,  or  a  tree  that  would  be  as  beautiful  as 
nature  produces ;  but  it  is  impossible  for  it  to  give 
to  either  the  power  to  grow. 

So  there  is  in  the  brain  of  man  a  something 
that  is  the  same  today  that  it  was  fifty  years  ago 
and  will  be  the  same  forever.  Changes  may  be 
never  so  rapid  in  the  material  world  they  do  not 
satisfy  the  cravings  of  this  inner  man.  It  is 
reached  only  by  the  fundamental,  moral  and  altru- 
istic truths  that  remain  unchanged  from  age  to 
age. 

These  were  taught  us  at  Clermont  Academy 
day  by  day  so  that  in  after  years  when  our  weary 


268  RANCH     LIFE 

feet  came  to  two  paths  well  worn  by  those  who 
had  gone  before,  one  leading  to  the  right  and  the 
other  to  the  wrong,  the  lessons  here  taught  were 
with  us  like  guardian  angels  to  guide  us  in  the 
right  way. 


REMARKS  UPON  JAMES  K.  PARKER 
AND  WIFE,  1901 

The  following  letter  fully  explains  itself : 

May  27,  1901. 

Your  surmise  was  correct.  I  was  surprised  to 
receive  your  invitation  to  give  an  address  at  the 
unveiling  of  the  monument  to  James  K.  Parker, 
which  now  serves  as  a  memorial  to  both  him  and 
his  wife. 

I  cannot  express  in  words  sufficiently  strong 
my  regret  that  another  engagement  will  prevent 
my  acceptance.  It  is  a  rare  opportunity  for  one 
who  holds  these  two  in  such  high  esteem,  to  meet 
again  and  perhaps  for  the  last  time,  his  fellow 
students  of  Clermont  Academy  and  tell  them  what 
great  influence  the  teachings  of  these  devoted, 
pure  and  self-sacrificing  Christians,  have  had  for 
forty-six  eventful  years  upon  his  life  and  char- 
acter. It  has  been  that  length  of  time  since  I 
stepped  from  the  door  of  the  little  brick  school 
house  in  the  valley  of  Boat  Run,  carrying  with  me 
out  into  the  world  beyond,  what  proved,  unknown 
then  to  me,  a  pure  and  fragrant  memory  of  the 
happiest  years  of  my  boyhood.  In  the  innocence 


270  RANCH      LIFE 

of  my  youth,  I  then  imagined  that  the  store  of 
facts,  gleaned  by  hard  study  from  the  pages  of 
Ray's  second  part  Algebra,  Pinneo's  Analytical 
Grammar,  Parker's  Aids  to  English  Composition, 
Caesar's  Latin  Commentaries,  Bullion's  Greek 
Reader,  Davies'  Legendre  and  Somebody's  Chem- 
istry, would  be  the  mental  equipment  that  would 
smooth  the  pathway  up  the  heights  of  success. 

Yet  I  am  exceedingly  sorry  that  I  shall  be  un- 
able to  confess  at  the  foot  of  this  monument  to 
the  students  of  the  present  time  who  may  be  there 
assembled  on  June  27th,  that  this  conception  of 
what  part  of  the  school  work  stays  by  the  mature 
man  is  a  delusion.  I  have  forgotten  the  little 
Latin  I  ever  knew,  cannot  repeat  the  Greek  Alpha- 
bet, and  this  reply  to  your  kind  invitation  will 
prove  to  you  that  "Aids  to  English  Composition" 
did  not  aid. 

At  one  time,  Dr.  Charles  Parker  gave  his  lec- 
tures on  anatomy.  I  met  him  thirty-two  years 
after.  He  could  not  recall  that  he  had  ever  de- 
livered these  lectures  and  I  could  not  tell  him  the 
substance  of  them.  I  even  have  doubts  about  the 
correctness  of  the  titles  above  given  of  the  text 
books  then  used.  But  if  these  intellectual  aids 
have  not  abided  what  is  the  persistent  influence 
upon  after-life  that  has  made  so  distinct  and 
sweet  the  memory  of  these  beloved  teachers? 

It  was  the  constant  example  of  their  upright 
walk  and  their  oral  daily  teaching  of  ethics  and 


JAMBS    K.    PARKER  271 

morality,  more  as  a  casual  adjunct  to  the  regular 
curriculum,  than  as  a  required  study.  For  ex- 
ample, it  was  the  habit  of  the  teacher  to  write 
upon  the  blackboard  each  day  some  questions  in 
business  or  social  ethics  and  ask  for  voluntary 
answers  in  writing.  These  set  in  motion  trains  of 
altruistic  thought  that  have  never  since  ceased 
moving.  The  answer  to  these  blackboard  ques- 
tions have  been  constantly  demanded  in  the  prac- 
tical routine  of  daily  life  ever  since,  and  must  be 
given  correctly  by  every  one,  whether  he  has  had 
the  lessons  at  school  or  not,  or  the  better  traits  of 
manhood  may  be  lost  and  life  may  become  a  fail- 
ure. 

It  is  well  known  that  these  teachers  were  thor- 
oughly saturated  with  the  love  of  all  mankind,  ir- 
respective of  race,  color  or  sex.  The  brotherhood 
of  man  was  to  them  a  living  principle.  These 
facts  were  constantly  before  the  eyes  of  all  their 
students.  Those  who  were  impressed  by  them 
never  forgot  them.  So  that  the  lesson  of  the  lives 
of  these  teachers  is  that  while  the  intellectual 
training  of  our  schools  is  of  the  utmost  value  in 
giving  birth  to  dynamic  thought,  yet  the  details 
of  the  text  books  fade  away  as  character  is 
formed.  The  truth  that  persists  is  the  funda- 
mental ethics  of  conduct,  which  fits  into  that  sub- 
tle thing  called  manhood.  I  remain, 
Very  truly  yours, 


THE   SENSIBLE   CHINESE 


It  is  very  interesting  to  call  attention  to  the 
sensible  manner  in  which  the  Chinese  have  late- 
ly changed  their  form  of  government.  The  Chi- 
nese empire  has  been  always  represented  as  abso- 
lute and  tyrannical.  It  is  generally  conceived 
that  the  people  of  China  have  been  heretofore  en- 
tirely devoted  to  the  imperial  dynasty,  and  that 
they  are  a  people  so  confirmed  and  fixed  in  their 
beliefs  and  habits  that  no  change  in  their  form  of 
government  could  be  reasonably  anticipated.  But 
the  sudden  rise  of  political  rebellion  in  certain 
provinces,  and  the  rapid  spread  of  a  republican 
feeling,  followed  by  organized  armies,  to  make 
practical  the  reform  desired,  have  astonished  the 
world.  There  has  been  considerable  fighting  be- 
tween these  armed  forces  of  democracy  and  the 
imperial  army;  but  the  final  victory  has  been  on 
the  side  of  rebellion.  The  Royal  Highness  soon 
discovered  that  it  could  not  depend  upon  its  own 
soldiers,  who  were  imbued  with  the  new  ideas, 
and  that  the  people  throughout  the  country  were, 
by  an  overwhelming  majority,  in  favor  of  abolish- 
ing the  reigning  dynasty,  and  establishing  in  its 


THE    SENSIBLE    CHINESE  273 

place  a  president  and  legislature  elected  by  the 
people.  Now  has  come  the  news  that  the  emperor 
and  his  family  have  acually  abdicated,  thus  as- 
suring to  the  people  the  most  important  revolution 
that  has  ever  taken  place  in  China. 

It  may  be  well  enough  for  us  to  wait  a  suf- 
ficient time  for  the  testing  of  the  new  order  of 
administration,  before  making  up  our  minds  that 
so  important  a  change  in  oriental  government  will 
become  actually  established.  The  intention  of  this 
article  is  to  express  belief  that  the  Chinese  people 
are  too  intelligent  as  a  nation,  their  intellects  are 
too  keen,  to  inaugurate  such  a  reform,  without 
the  necessary  will  power  and  practical  sense  to 
make  it  permanent.  It  depends,  of  course,  entire- 
ly upon  the  character  of  those  upon  whom  the 
voting  franchise  may  rest,  whether  a  representa- 
tive form  of  government  can  be  maintained.  But 
the  republican  form  of  government  will  undoubt- 
edly become  permanent,  unless  those  who  take  the 
reins  of  the  new  government  find  by  experience, 
that  some  modification,  on  account  of  the  peculiar 
mentality  of  the  people,  may  be  necessary. 

It  would  naturallyappear  to  an  American,  or 
to  an  Englishman,  or  to  any  European,  that  the 
agreement  entered  into  between  the  leaders  of 
the  republican  movement  and  the  imperialists, 
namely :  that  the  emperor  and  his  household  shall 
live  in  the  boundaries  of  China,  be  protected  in 
persons  and  property,  and  have  a  large  pension 


274  RANCH      LIFE 

from  the  new  government,  is  an  unwise  and 
menacing  arrangement.  The  white  man's  way, 
formerly,  of  doing  such  things  is  to  behead,  or 
exile,  all  pretenders  to  thrones.  Contrast  not  only 
this  feature  of  oriental  revolution,  but  the  whole 
proceeding  since  the  republicans  marshalled  their 
forces  at  Nanking  and  sent  their  demands  to 
Peking  for  the  abdication  of  the  emperor,  to  the 
present  time,  with  the  course,  of  Cromwell  in  the 
English  Revolution,  but  more  aptly  still  with  the 
French  Revolution  of  1790.  Both  the  English  and 
French  were  cruel  and  brutal  on  both  sides  of 
their  long  and  bloody  wars.  Charles  I  was  be- 
headed and  his  son  exiled;  Louis  XVI  and  Marie 
Antoinette  were  both  guillotined  and  their  young 
son  killed.  And  after  all  the  senseless  sacrifice 
of  human  lives,  done  that  liberty  and  equality 
might  reign  in  those  Christian  lands,  the  mon- 
archy was  finally  re-established  in  both  nations. 
How  comparatively  bloodless  and  peaceful  has 
been  the  same  struggle  in  the  ancient  and  heathen 
China ;  and  how  much  more  according  to  the  true 
interpretation  of  the  Golden  Rule,  have  the  fol- 
lowers, not  of  Christ,  but  of  Confucius,  brought 
about  the  recognition  of  the  right  of  man  to  gov- 
ern himself. 

A  people  who  will  cherish  and  protect  their 
monarch  after  forcing  him  with  so  little  show  of 
actual  compulsion  to  abdicate  in  favor  of  a  re- 
public, are  not  likely  through  sheer  weakness  in 


THE    SENSIBLE     CHINESE  275 

themselves  to  re-establish  that  monarch  in  power 
again.  These  Chinese  people  who  we  have  not 
heretofore  looked  upon  as  being  as  worthy  as  the 
white  races,  have  certainly  shown  themselves  not 
inferior  in  very  many  respects,  but  especially  in 
their  last  masterly  and  fundamental  achievement 
they  are  entitled  to  our  respect  and  admiration. 
They  have  given  us,  also,  added  cause  to  feel 
prouder  of  our  own  form  of  government  in  the 
fact  that  the  new  president  and  cabinet  of  China 
have  declared  that  they  will  model  their  constitu- 
tion and  laws  after  those  of  the  United  States.  It 
is  to  be  hoped  they  will  administer  them  better. 
The  seed  of  democracy  has  been  planted  in  a  soil 
heretofore  considered  fruitful  only  of  the  most 
abject  and  absolute  imperialism. 


TWENTY-FIRST  WISCONSIN 
REGIMENTAL  ASSOCIATION 

Dear  Comrades  of  the  Twenty-First  Wisconsin 
Infantry :  I  am  glad  that  I  was  mustered  into  the 
United  States  military  service  just  fifty  years  ago 
with  the  Twenty-first  Wisconsin  Infantry.  There 
are  several  good  reasons  for  this  feeling.  The 
most  cogent  of  them,  for  the  present  purpose  of 
this  paper,  is  that  it  has  given  me  a  social  rela- 
tion to  the  surviving  members  of  the  regiment 
which  has  grown  in  intensity  as  the  years  have 
so  rapidly  flown,  and  has,  also,  become  brighter 
as  the  number  of  the  survivors  have  become  less. 
It  is  to  me  very  regretful  that  our  social  relation- 
ship has  not  been  one  of  a  more  personal  touch. 
It  would  have  been  more  delightful  to  me  had  I 
been  so  situated  during  these  fifty  years  that  I 
could  have  grasped  the  hands  and  daily  seen  the 
light  of  the  eyes  of  my  comrades,  as  neighbors, 
living  side  by  side.  Yet  memory  and  imagination 
are  quickened  and  made  real  by  absence,  when 
that  absence  is  vivified  by  occasional  communica- 
tion and  annual  reunions.  One  consolation  for 
absence  is  that  it  is  sad  and  pathetic  to  daily  see 
each  other  grow  old  and  tottering  down  the  de- 
cline of  life.  When  I  see  a  comrade  growing  old, 
it  is  remindful  that  I  look  the  same  to  him  that 


WARLETTER  277 

he  does  to  me.  I  prefer  to  remember  you  as  young 
men  with  eager  enthusiasm  holding  up  your  right 
hands  at  the  muster-in  in  the  ranks,  to  pledge 
your  best  service  to  your  government  in  the  war. 
But  it  is  philosophic  and  grateful  to  be  cheerful 
and  resigned  in  the  face  of  the  inevitable  havoc 
time  makes  in  our  lives.  What  is  without  remedy 
should  be  without  regard.  When  we  thoroughly 
learn  that  the  succession  of  those  phenomena, 
which  we  are  in  the  habit  of  calling  birth,  life  and 
death,  are  natural,  necessary  and  unavoidable,  we 
throw  regrets  and  complainings  to  the  winds.  In 
fact,  old  age  should  be  the  most  profitable  part  of 
life,  for  then  we  are  in  the  maturity  of  our  mental 
powers,  and  wealthy  in  experience  and  moral  dis- 
cipline. At  that  time  should  come  leisure  to  think 
of  those  things  most  congenial  to  us.  Memory, 
then,  of  the  occurrences  of  early  life  is  the  bright- 
est and  best.  The  delight  of  action,  which  gave 
youth  so  much  pleasure,  in  old  age  is  replaced  by 
the  more  peaceful  and  delicious  exercise  of  con- 
templation and  recollection.  So  every  time  of  life 
has  its  compensations,  those  of  our  time  being  the 
sweetest  and  brightest. 

It  is  certain  that  we  can  all  recall  the  vivid 
scenes  through  which  we  passed,  and  the  panor- 
amic and  spectacular  ones  of  the  Civil  War,  more 
vividly  now  than  we  ever  could  before.  Those 
who  were  present  at  Camp  Bragg,  in  Oshkosh,  on 
the  5th  of  September,  1862,  can  see,  in  memory, 


278  RANCH      LIFE 

as  plain  as  they  did  on  that  memorable  day,  by  the 
actual  vision,  the  full  ranks  of  the  regiment  drawn 
up  in  line,  taking  the  oath  to  serve  faithfully,  as 
soldiers,  the  United  States  of  America.  From 
that  day  until  you  were  mustered  out  at  Mil- 
waukee, June  17,  1865,  you  were  the  active  par- 
ticipants, constantly  at  the  front,  in  a  war  un- 
equalled in  history  for  its  magnitude  and  for  what 
it  accomplished.  You  started  out  to  prevent  a 
dissolution  of  the  nation  and  came  back  triumph- 
ant. How  different  it  would  have  been  if  you  had 
returned  unsuccessful!  I  have  said  above  that 
the  love  I  bear  for  the  survivors  of  the  Twenty- 
first  Wisconsin  Regimental  Association  is  the 
most  cogent  reason  for  being  glad  of  my  service 
with  the  regiment.  The  second  reason  is  my  pride 
in  the  record  the  regiment  made  in  the  war.  It 
would  merely  be  a  repetition  of  what  I  have  so 
often  written  and  spoken  to  you  in  the  past,  should 
I  undertake  to  recite  those  splendid  services. 
Your  record  is  far  above  the  average,  you  being 
one  of  the  282  regiments  which  made  the  greatest 
sacrifice  of  life  on  the  field  of  battle.  You  were, 
during  your  whole  term  of  service,  always  at  the 
front.  You  were  never  at  a  post  in  the  rear,  or 
the  garrison  of  a  fort,  or  guard  to  a  railroad. 
From  the  time  you  struck  the  enemy  on  Oct.  8, 
1862,  at  Perryville,  Kentucky,  a  little  over  a  month 
from  muster-in,  you  were  always  up  against  and 
pursuing  him.  From  Perryville  you  pushed  on 


WARLETTER  279 

to  Stone's  River,  thence  on  the  Tellahoma  cam- 
paign and  to  Chickamauga.  After  the  battle  of 
Chickamauga  followed  Lookout  Mountain  and 
Missionary  Ridge.  Then  came  the  terrible  cam- 
paign for  Atlanta,  in  which  you  bore  a  most  dis- 
tinguished part,  losing  one-third  of  your  number, 
in  a  battle  of  four  months'  duration,  and  tri- 
umphantly marching  into  Atlanta  Sept.  8,  1864, 
just  two  years  and  three  days  after  being  mus- 
tered in.  From  Atlanta  you  followed  Hood's  army 
back  to  Chattanooga,  and  then  turned  your  faces 
to  the  east  and  marched  to  Savannah  by  Dec.  12, 

1864.  On    that    and    the    following    campaign 
through  the  Carolinas,  in  the  winter  of  1864  and 
'65,  you  were  always  in  presence  of  the  enemy. 
He  could  not  stop  your  triumphant  march,  nor 
much  delay  the  inevitable  end,  but  in  his  despera- 
tion he  struck  you  again  on  the  19th  of  March, 

1865,  at  Bentonville,  North  Carolina,  in  a  battle 
which  ended  his  career,  but  not  until  many  of  our 
brave  men  fought  their  last  fight.     This  battle 
proved  not  only  the  last  fight  for  those  who  were 
killed  on  that  field,  but  for  all  of  us,  and  for  the 
enemy.    Lee  soon  surrendered  at  Appomattox  and 
this  was  followed  by  that  of  the  Confederate  army 
to  our  forces  near  Durham,  North  Carolina.  Trac- 
ing thus,  in  your  own  minds,  your  career  from  its 
beginning  to  its  final  ending,  you  can  see  what  a 
large  factor  the  Twenty-first  Wisconsin  Infantry 
was  in  the  active  front  movements  for  nearly 


280  RANCH      LIFE 

three  years.  Wherever  the  Army  of  the  Cumber- 
land went,  and  whatever  it  did  in  that  time,  there 
this  regiment  also  went  and  did.  It  is  a  record  to 
be  proud  of,  and  fifty  years  after  your  muster-in 
is  a  fitting  time  to  celebrate  it  and  publish  that 
record  to  the  world.  You  lost  350  killed  and 
wounded  and  183  from  the  exposure  and  the 
necessary  consequences  of  such  arduous  cam- 
paigns. Our  grief  goes  out  to  those  who  were  the 
sacrifice.  They  were  heroes.  It  was  through  them 
that  the  triumph  was  made  possible.  It  was  a 
bitter  sacrifice  for  their  families  to  make.  But 
we  must  look  also  at  what  was  gained  for  our 
country  and  for  mankind  at  large,  in  return  for 
these  precious  lives.  Time  has  healed  the  wounds 
and  many  of  the  survivors  have  passed  away,  but 
our  great  country  goes  on  by  the  impetus  that  the 
Union  army,  with  your  aid,  gave  it  fifty  years 
ago,  and  will  go  on  forever.  That  war  eradicated 
the  only  deadly  germs  that  were  feeding  at  the 
vitals  of  our  country  and  menacing  its  life,  send- 
ing it  forth  upon  a  career  of  health  and  prosperity 
that  will  compensate  for  all  the  sacrifices  made. 
What  you  did  then  is  recorded  in  our  history  and 
will  never  be  forgotten  by  the  lovers  of  free  gov- 
ernments everywhere.  Man  is  benefitted  and 
made  happy,  not  by  what  he  receives,  but  by  what 
he  gives. 

With  great  affection,  I  remain. 

Your  old  comrade, 


THE   MOCKING   BIRD 


Los  Angeles,  California,  May  27th,  1903. 

Every  morning  and  evening  a  mocking  bird 
saturates  the  air  near  my  sleeping  room  with  such 
notes  as  only  that  species  of  bird  can  make.  At 
first  I  thought  he  was  a  tame  bird  in  a  cage ;  but 
I  soon  caught  sight  of  him  sitting  on  the  arm  of 
a  telephone  pole,  as  if  to  send  by  wire  to  other 
peoples  the  exquisite  music  of  his  song.  He  would 
occasionally  fly  up  so  gracefully,  all  the  time  sing- 
ing, until  it  would  seem  that  his  little  throat  would 
wear  out  its  mechanism.  Yet  he  never  tired.  I 
listened  and  watched,  and  watched  and  listened. 
I  wondered  where  he  learned  all  his  various  notes 
and  gamuts!  They  seemed  infinite  and  without 
limit  in  either  high  or  low  octave.  If  he  has  no 
song  of  his  own  I  wonder  where  he  learned  the 
boundless  variety,  the  illimitable  trills  and  quav- 
ers, the  medley  of  all  bird  song  ?  Then  the  timbre ! 
One  note  was  sufficient  to  inform  the  hearer  that 
this  could  be  only  the  mocking  bird.  He  never 
dwelt  long  on  any  bird's  solo.  The  harmonious 
blending  of  melodies,  with  the  most  elaborate 
variations,  required  the  undivided  attention  of 
the  listener  to  distinguish  the  mocking  of  other 


282  RANCH      LIFE 

birds  from  what  would  seem  to  be  the  original 
song  of  songs. 

Has  this  spirit  of  song  the  gift  of  telepathy 
by  which  he  instinctively  imitates  the  bird  music 
of  the  continent  ?  Has  he  the  throat  structure,  in 
combination,  of  all  song  birds?  Or  is  it  true  that 
spirits  do  exist  and  that  this  is  the  embodiment  of 
the  spirit  of  the  bird  orchestra  of  the  globe?  He 
is  as  graceful  in  body  and  movement  as  he  is  in 
music.  His  wings  rise  and  fall  in  perfect  rhythm 
with  his  notes,  filling  the  eye  as  well  as  ear  of  the 
enchanted  beholder  with  the  most  exquisite  be- 
wilderment. When  watching  and  listening  I  think 
of  Shelley's  "Ode  to  a  Sky  Lark/'  'That  singing 
still  doth  soar,  and  soaring  ever  singest."  Yet 
that  bird  had  only  one  song.  Here  is  one  which 
has  that  and  all  others.  And  he  sings  that  better 
than  can  the  sky-lark.  He  sings  the  songs  of  all 
birds  more  enchantingly  than  they  do. 

Here  in  Los  Angeles,  he  seems  to  dwell  in  con- 
genial surroundings.  This  city  is  named  after 
the  Angels.  The  birds  are  perhaps  the  only  real 
unselfish  angels  that  ever  existed  here  and  as  near 
what  angels  should  be  as  anything  that  ever  exist- 
ed. The  angels  of  theology  are  about  as  useless 
an  invention  as  we  could  think  of.  But  here  in 
the  mocking  bird  is  an  angel  of  song,  whose  ex- 
istence is  real,  whose  presense  and  music  entrance, 
who  carries  the  listening  mortal  to  a  subjective 
world  of  beauty  and  joy  while  yet  his  feet  are 


THE    MOCKING    BIRD  283 

left  to  rest  on  the  good  mother  earth  and  where 
this  real  angel  of  song  leaves  him  to  enjoy  in 
addition  to  the  mocking  bird's  heaven  of  music 
also  the  divinity  of  the  gorgeous  flowers,  trees, 
blue  sky  and  the  ever  restless  flow  of  the  Pacific's 
breakers.  I  wonder  how  many  of  the  hundred 
thousand  pairs  of  ears  and  eyes  of  this  city  could 
appreciate  the  significance  of  this  application  of 
the  phrase,  "Los  Angeles." 

I  should  think  that  this  little  wee  sprite  of 
melody,  did  he  know  anything  except  the  quintes- 
sence of  harmony,  would  scorn  his  human  sur- 
roundings whose  ears  seem  attuned  only  to  the 
music  of  the  dollar.  In  another  sense  than  the 
imitation  of  the  songs  of  other  warblers,  this 
"mocking  bird"  should  be  a  real  mocker  of  the 
sordid  environment  of  a  city  and  hie  himself  away 
to  the  real  beauties  of  more  tropical  climes,  un- 
haunted  by  the  human  race,  where  his  lofty  un- 
selfish music  would  be  in  more  harmonious  keep- 
ing with  untainted  nature,  heard  only  by  his  own 
species,  for  whom  he  intends  it.  Still,  here,  he 
sings  apparently  unconscious  of  his  surroundings 
and  careless  whether  human  ears  are  enraptured 
and  human  hearts  gladdened,  so  that  his  bird  mate 
is  made  happy  thereby.  His  instinct  is  to  sing  his 
best,  knowing  that  no  note  is  lost.  It  fits  some- 
where in  the  natural  correlation  of  all  organic 
life.  What  is  most  beautiful,  is  also  perhaps  the 
most  useful.  Then  sing  on,  thou  rhythmic  angel 


284  RANCH     LIFE 

of  harmony!  In  any  setting,  whether  in  wilder- 
ness or  city,  you  are  worth  a  thousand  miles  of 
desert  journeying  to  see  and  hear!  There  will 
always  be  some  hearts  and  ears,  either  of  bird 
or  man,  to  be  enraptured  by  thee  and  to  such  you 
will  be  constantly  creating  a  new  earth  which  will 
thus  become  also  the  only  real  heaven ! 


EMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  PAST 


A  certain  writer  has  compiled  "A  Statistical 
Study  of  Eminent  Men."  The  author  has  tabu- 
lated one  thousand  names  of  historical  men  in  the 
order  of  prominence  in  history  and  biography. 
He  does  not  pretend  that  they  are  the  greatest 
men,  for  there  are  many  very  mediocre  char- 
acters whose  prominence  is  accidental,  such  as 
kings,  etc. 

He  has  arranged  the  names  by  hundreds  put- 
ting the  most  eminent  in  the  first  hundred  and  the 
next  most  eminent  in  the  second  hundred  so  on 
down  to  the  tenth  hundred.  Each  hundred  is  ar- 
ranged on  the  same  principle — the  one  of  the 
greatest  prominence  being  placed  first.  It  is  a 
very  curious  and  instructive  list;  not  so  much  for 
the  value  of  the  names  themselves  as  for  the 
photograph  it  gives  of  the  thoughts  and  mental 
tendencies  of  the  average  people  whose  opinions 
give  prominence  to  men  and  things. 

The  list  says  in  plainest  import :  "We,  the  mak- 
ers of  books  and  the  recorders  of  the  ideas  of  the 
people  of  the  civilized  world,  give  here  the  names 
of  those  men,  now  deceased,  whom  we  and  the 
people  regard  as  the  real  leaders  and  makers  of 


286  RANCH      LIFE 

our  civilization.  These  are  the  men  whom  we 
choose  to  honor.  They  are  the  reflex  of  our  views 
and  of  the  degree  of  evolution  of  our  intellects 
from  the  lower  order  from  which  generic  man  has 
descended." 

Napoleon  I  comes  first  and  Shakespeare  sec- 
ond. War,  in  its  most  aggressive  and  unjust  as- 
pects comes  before  literature  in  its  highest  expres- 
sion of  complex  metaphysical  and  historical 
thought. 

Thirty-two  Americans  are  mentioned  in  the 
catalogue.  In  the  first  hundred  are  Washington, 
Lincoln,  Franklin  and  Jefferson,  in  the  order 
named;  in  the  second  hundred,  Grant,  John  Ad- 
ams, Webster;  in  the  third  hundred,  Alexander 
Hamilton  and  Andrew  Jackson;  fourth  hundred, 
Longfellow,  Prescott,  Channing,  Washington  Irv- 
ing, Sherman;  fifth  hundred,  Emerson,  Seward, 
Madison,  Farragut,  J.  Q.  Adams;  sixth  hundred, 
Hawthorne,  James  Fennimore  Cooper,  Tom  Paine, 
Lee  and  Garrison;  seventh  hundred,  Henry  Clay; 
eighth  hundred,  Patrick  Henry,  Fulton,  Sumner, 
Parker,  P.  H.  Sheridan ;  and  in  the  ninth  hundred, 
Bonner  and  Monroe. 

Of  this  list  Lincoln,  Grant,  Sherman,  Farra- 
gut, Lee  and  Sheridan  were  made  famous  by  the 
Civil  War,  for  as  above  indicated,  the  list  includes 
the  names  of  those  most  written  about,  not  the 
greatest  or  noblest. 

If  the  names  were  placed  in  the  order  of  bene- 


BMINENTMEN  287 

fits  to  the  human  race  done  by  these  men,  Na- 
poleon could  not  come  first,  nor  even  Shakespeare 
second.  In  accordance  with  this  idea  Copernicus, 
Newton  and  Darwin  should  be  at  the  head.  Watt 
is  not  mentioned  at  all  and  Arkwright  is  obscure. 
Cromwell,  by  far  the  greatest  ruler  England  ever 
had,  is  obscure. 

The  list  shows  that  literature,  at  least  history 
and  biography,  have  been  subservient  to  political 
and  ruling  power.  Warriors  and  kings  and  those 
who  write  most  approvingly  of  them  are  not  the 
great  or  noble  men  of  the  world,  but  rather  those 
who,  like  Cromwell,  broke  their  power.  The 
author  of  the  Magna  Charta  of  England,  and  of 
the  Declaration  of  Independence  in  the  United 
States,  the  makers  of  laws  for  the  curbing  of 
tyranny  and  the  protection  of  the  rights  of  the 
people  are  the  true  heroes  who  should  be  most 
written  about,  and  receive  the  highest  honors. 

Columbus  should  rank  high  but  the  discoverers 
of  great  natural  truths  that  emancipate  the  in- 
tellects of  the  people  from  the  grip  of  superstition 
and  delusion  are  the  greatest — Copernicus,  New- 
ton and  Darwin. 

In  the  sixth  hundred,  Robert  E.  Lee  is  sand- 
wiched between  Tom  Paine  and  William  Lloyd 
Garrison.  If  there  were  any  method  by  which 
Lee's  supposed  spirit  could  revisit  the  earth  it 
undoubtedly  would  undergo  a  very  long  journey 
to  protest  against  being  crowded  on  one  side  by 


288  RANCH     LIFE 

the  author  of  "The  Age  of  Reason"  and  on  the 
other  by  the  original  abolitionist  who,  according 
to  Confederate  belief,  did  what  he  could  to  bring 
on  the  Civil  War. 

The  list  although  compiled  by  the  author  is  not 
his  creation ;  it  is  the  unconscious  and  undesigned 
concensus  of  the  literary  world,  a  segregation  as 
natural  as  that  which  occurs  when  the  action  of 
water  carries  the  mountain  tops  and  sides  to  a 
lower  level.  The  heaviest  boulders  are  precipi- 
tated first  and  are  covered  by  regular  layers  of 
those  less  and  less  in  size  and  weight,  the  finest 
and  lightest  being  on  top  in  the  form  of  soil. 

No  two  individuals  using  their  own  intellect- 
ual preferences  would  compile  the  same  list  of 
names  in  the  same  order.  A  theologian  would 
give  prominence  to  those  men  whose  line  of 
thought  and  action  is  such  as  he  is  most  interested 
in  and  which  he  thinks  is  of  the  most  importance 
to  the  welfare  of  mankind.  A  scientist  would 
naturally  differ  from  the  theologian  and  place 
Copernicus  and  Darwin  high  on  the  list.  A  states- 
man would  place  first  on  the  list  the  names  of 
those  who  have  controlled  the  politics  of  the  world. 
The  financier  and  the  business  man  would  make 
still  another  order  of  merit. 

But  here  is  a  list  taken  from  the  opinions  ex- 
pressed by  all  these  classes  combined  and  ar- 
ranged impartially  by  an  able  author  and  thinker 
who  says  that  he  himself  would  not  put  Napoleon 


EM  INENT    MEN  289 

at  the  head.  It  would  be  exceedingly  difficult  to 
compile  such  a  list  of  those  who  have  been  of  the 
greatest  benefit  to  mankind.  The  relative  merits 
of  men  of  ideas  and  men  of  affairs,  of  the  discov- 
erers of  new  abstract  truths  and  of  inventors  of 
applied  science  and  mechanics,  would  be  difficult 
to  determine.  Who  is  the  greater — Copernicus, 
or  Newton,  or  Darwin,  or  Watt,  or  Arkwright? 
He  who  discovers  the  indestructibility  of  matter 
or  the  persistence  of  force,  or  he  who  teaches  the 
world  that  all  men  are  equal  before  the  law  ?  Was 
it  greater  to  fight  the  successful  battles  against 
tyrants,  or  to  write  the  Magna  Charta  or  the 
Declaration  of  Independence? 

It  seems  the  writers  of  history,  biography  and 
of  current  literature  generally  lay  greater  stress 
upon  and  give  more  prominence  to  a  successful 
warrior  and  to  a  warrior  for  conquest.  This  will 
not  be  the  case  when  war  passes  away  by  the  evo- 
lution of  the  higher  intellect  of  men,  and  arbitra- 
tion settles  the  differences  of  nations.  How  dif- 
ferent will  a  list  of  this  kind  be  made  up  a  thou- 
sand years  from  now,  when  man's  ideas  will  have 
changed  upon  the  question  of  evolution  and  the- 
ology. In  a  thousand  years  from  now  the  knowl- 
edge and  beliefs  of  mankind  will  have  so  far  ad- 
vanced in  science,  especially  in  the  investigation 
of  natural  phenomena,  that  the  ideas  and  opinions 
at  present  entertained  will  be  correspondingly 
modified.  The  time  will  come  when  the  people  will 


290  RANCH     LIFE 

see  that  real  power  proceeds  not  from  kings  and 
rulers  downward,  but  from  the  people  upward. 
Kings  and  hereditary  rulers  will  not  absorb  all 
thought  and  attention.  Greatness  then  must  be 
recognized,  not  as  abiding  in  those  who  cultivate 
fear  and  duress,  but  rather  in  men  who  confer 
upon  mankind  real  benefits  however  humble  they 
may  be.  He  who  does  most  to  hasten  the  day  when 
men  will  seek  truth  alone  and  do  the  right  for  the 
right's  sake  will  then  be  not  only  the  greatest  but 
the  most  eminent. 


DEATH  AND  THE  SOUL 


It  would  seem,  figuratively  speaking,  that  a 
race  is  going  on  in  the  organic  world  between  life 
and  its  apparent  rival,  death.  So  far  life  has  the 
advantage  in  the  human  race,  but  if  the  tempera- 
ture of  the  earth  from  which  we  draw  all  that  con- 
tributes to  what  is  called  our  physical  life,  if  not 
all  there  is  in  the  organic,  shall  fall  only  a  trifle 
more,  all  life  would  quietly  cease.  Physicists  tell 
us  that  the  earth  is  very  gradually  cooling.  If  the 
diameter  of  the  sun  is  lessening  year  by  year  and 
the  shell  of  the  earth  growing  thicker,  it  does  not 
require  the  scientific  knowledge  of  the  expert  to 
tell  us  that  sometime  solar  heat,  the  probable 
source  of  all  life,  will  fail  to  give  just  the  right 
quantity  and  quality.  President  Jordan  has  said 
that  if  a  thermometer  could  be  constructed  long 
enough  to  measure  all  the  probable  variations  of 
the  temperature  of  the  universe,  the  space  marked 
thereon  in  which  life  on  this  globe  is  possible 
would  be  infinitesimal.  Undoubtedly  if  a  calendar 
of  eons  in  which  this  universe  has  existed  in  some 
form  could  be  constructed  and  so  subdivided  as  to 
be  comprehensible  by  man,  the  minute  space 


292  RANCH     LIFE 

thereon  indicating  the  period  in  which  life  in  any 
of  its  present  forms  could  continue  to  exist  would 
be  hardly  perceptible  to  the  human  eye.  So  that 
what  is  of  immense  importance,  viz.:  ourselves 
and  our  relation  to  space  and  time,  is  of  the  small- 
est consequence  when  once  we  realize  our  true  re- 
lation to  the  universe.  These  facts  are  worth 
knowing.  But  they  do  not  lead  us  to  neglect  the 
care  we  should  take  of  ourselves  and  of  our  civili- 
zation. 

Death  is  a  phenomenon  no  more  mysterious 
than  life,  or  many  of  the  functions  of  either  the 
organic  or  inorganic  worlds.  More  mysterious  is 
it  that  as  the  earth  revolves  on  its  axis  we  do  not 
drop  into  space.  The  power  of  gravitation  hold- 
ing like  a  vice  the  atoms  of  all  globes  and  the  liv- 
ing organisms  on  their  surface  to  what  is  called 
their  centers  of  gravity,  is  more  mysterious  than 
any  phenomenon  connected  with  either  life  or 
death.  So  it  is  with  every  operation  of  natural 
law.  Spencer  says  that,  life  is  the  integration  of 
matter  and  the  dissipation  of  motion  and  that 
death  is  the  reverse  of  this.  At  first  reading  this 
definition  does  not  seem  to  mean  anything  to  most 
of  us.  This  because  we  have  been  taught  that 
death  is  not  purely  a  natural  process,  but  an  in- 
vented excresence,  intended  to  punish  man  for 
some  ancestral  sin  and  that  it  can  be  avoided  by  a 
devised  propitiation.  But  intellectual  men  have 
not  been  quite  content  with  this  definition  and 


DEATH    AND    THE    SOUL  293 

what  is  called  scientific  investigation  (that  is, 
"close  observation,  frequently  repeated  so  as  to 
eliminate  the  possibility  of  erroneous  seeing;  ex- 
periments checked  and  controlled  in  every  direc- 
tion in  which  fallacies  might  arise;  continuous 
reflection  on  appearances  and  phenomena  ob- 
served, and  logically  reasoning  out  their  meaning 
and  the  conclusions  to  be  drawn  from  them"), 
has  culminated  in  the  Spencerian  definition,  which 
means  that  death,  like  life,  is  a  phase  of  the  per- 
petual interchange  of  matter  and  motion  that  al- 
ways has  gone  on  and  always  will  go  on  through- 
out the  universe.  The  sadness,  the  grief,  the  tears 
and  bitterness  of  human  beings  now  attending 
death  can  be  overcome  by  a  true  knowledge  of  the 
natural  necessity  for  death;  the  victory  of  the 
grave  is  a  delusion  in  an  intellectual  sense,  because 
death  is  a  natural  phenomenon  of  the  reversal  of 
the  life  processes  plainly  seen  by  the  eye  of  science 
as  unavoidable  and  necessary.  In  other  words, 
man  should  not  cease  dying  a  natural  death.  The 
postponement  of  it  to  the  last  necessary  hour, 
however,  is  now  the  life-work  of  the  physician 
and  should  be  the  most  important  study  of  each 
individual.  When  this  is  done,  then  the  individual 
himself  is  reconciled,  yea,  even  longs  for  the  con- 
summation and  his  friends  will  then  see  that  emo- 
tion of  grief  is  not  a  logical  result  of  a  desirable 
and  inevitable  and  benevolent  law  of  nature.  When 
man  shall  comprehend  all  the  laws  of  his  being, 


294  RANCH      LIFE 

when  he  comes  to  see  that  his  well-being  absolute- 
ly depends  on  the  degree  of  perfection  of  his 
knowledge  of  and  correspondence  with  nature 
and  her  laws,  the  length  of  his  life,  probably  can 
be  very  greatly  prolonged ;  at  least  until  the  weak- 
ness of  old  age  makes  life  a  burden  and  death  only 
a  relief. 

Human  emotion  and  faith  say,  "The  Lord 
giveth  and  the  Lord  taketh;  blessed  be  the  name 
of  the  Lord."  This  means  that  whatever  occurs  in 
the  perpetual  aparition  constantly  before  the  hu- 
man senses;  that  is,  in  nature,  is  right  in  the  be- 
liefs of  the  people  because  a  Providence  creates 
the  elements  of  the  apparition  and  rules  all  the 
manifestations.  The  most  accurate  thought  of 
the  scientist  concurs  in  the  results  thus  reached 
by  theology,  viz. :  that  whatever  occurs  in  nature 
is  not  only  right  in  itself,  but  for  the  best  welfare 
of  the  human  race.  Therefore,  to  the  scientific 
eye,  death  being  a  natural  objective  process,  what- 
ever else  it  may  be,  is  also  a  necessary  process  for 
the  good  of  the  human  race.  In  other  words  life 
and  death  are  surely  only  different  phases  of  the 
same  objective  phenomenon.  Man  is  born  not 
only  into  life  but  unto  death.  His  chief  function 
seems  to  be  to  continue  the  life  of  the  race.  When 
he  has  accomplished  this  natural  process,  it  seems 
to  be  a  law  running  through  the  whole  organic 
realm  that  he  must  change  his  form  and  thus  give 
place  and  opportunity  to  his  offspring  to  continue 


DEATH    AND    THE    SOUL  296 

the  perpetual  round  and  perhaps  a  continual 
progress,  not  in  each  incident  but  in  the  aggre- 
gate. Innumerable  lower  organisms  die  in  the 
process  of  producing  new  life.  In  these  instances, 
however,  the  new  organisms  not  being  very  com- 
plex, are  self-supporting  from  birth.  But  with 
heterogeneous  man,  natural  death  comes  after 
years  of  care  for  new  offspring;  this  care  being 
necessary  to  defend  and  nurture  the  weakness  in- 
herent in  the  heterogeneousness.  The  long  years 
of  prolongation  of  human  infancy  generate  what 
we  call  altruism,  the  love  and  beneficences  that 
manifest  the  functions  of  what  we  call  the  soul. 

This  word  "soul"  is  another  term  that  in  any 
treatise  upon  death  demands  consideration.  The 
idea  seems  to  have  had  its  origin  with  Socrates, 
only  about  five  hundred  years  before  Christ.  It  is 
curious  not  only  to  study  the  origin  and  evolution 
of  the  word,  but  the  various  definitions  now  and 
heretofore  attached  to  it.  It  did  not  have  a  theo- 
logical nor  a  Christian  origin.  The  Hebrew  the- 
ology which  did  not  include  it,  if  it  recognized  im- 
mortality at  all,  applied  it  to  the  body  which  was 
to  be  resurrected.  Socrates  thought  soul  was  an 
entity  that  survived  the  body.  The  consensus  of 
theological  thought  seems  now  to  have  adopted  the 
same  view  and  settled  upon  a  belief  that  some- 
where in  the  human  organism  existing  in  an  un- 
defined shape,  is  something  that  will  continue  in- 
dividual conscious  existence  after  death.  It  is 


296  RANCHLIFE 

not  claimed  that  it  is  founded  on  more  than  faith 
and  hope.  For  even  so  sincere  a  believer  in  the 
orthodox  Christian  doctrines  as  Professor  Joseph 
Le  Conte,  a  scientific  evolutionist  of  the  first-class, 
says  that  nothing  in  the  operations  of  the  highest 
human  brain  can  be  perceived  by  the  best  scien- 
tific investigations,  but  molecular  motion.  Yet, 
science  in  the  person  of  its  most  advanced  and 
radical  representative,  Professor  Ernst  Haeckel, 
adopts  the  word  "soul,"  a  term  whose  birth  was 
Pagan  and  whose  sacredness  and  human  exclusive- 
ness  have  been  vitalized  by  Christianity.  Prof. 
Haeckel  gives  it  a  far  wider  and  even  a  cosmic  ap- 
plication. He  claims  there  is  not  only  a  world- 
soul,  but  that  each  atom  of  matter  throughout  in- 
finite space  has  a  soul  of  its  own  that  will  never 
die;  that  is,  the  atom  and  its  soul  are  both  im- 
mortal. While  theologians  believe  in  the  immor- 
tality of  the  conscious  individual,  science  teaches 
an  objective  immortality  of  the  atoms  and  their 
souls.  These  souls  of  atoms  being  units  of  cos- 
mical  energy  and  the  atoms  being  units  of  matter 
are  both  indestructible.  It  is  evident,  however, 
that  the  two  conceptions  of  immortality  are  quite 
different  in  meaning.  Thus  we  have  the  double 
assertion  of  both  faith  and  science  that  there  is  an 
immortality;  that  while  dissolution  inevitably 
comes  to  the  organism,  it  is  simply  a  change  of 
form,  never  annihilation. 


DEATH 


There  are  two  views  of  death  worth  mention- 
ing. One  is  the  theological  view — that  it  was  im- 
posed by  an  all-wise  Creator  on  account  of  the 
sins  of  mankind  and  that  when  life  ceases  there  is 
a  spiritual  form  in  shape  like  the  body  and  en- 
dowed with  consciousness  that  survives  in  some 
way  and  abides  somewhere.  It  is  not  claimed  by 
theology  that  any  other  life-forms  than  those  of 
human  beings  have  a  spirit  form. 

But  all  organisms,  both  animal  and  vegetable, 
are  constantly  being  born  and  are  always  dying. 
So  that  the  theological  theory  of  death  is  not  broad 
enough  to  cover  the  facts  of  life  and  death.  A 
theory  that  is  not  all  inclusive  does  not  long  re- 
main satisfactory.  A  few  men  of  penetrating  in- 
tellects there  always  are  in  this  world  who  have 
the  power  to  delve  to  the  bottom  of  nature's  laws, 
who  are  also  willing  to  concede  existing  theories 
until  the  facts  of  phenomena  establish  a  broader 
and  more  probable  one.  It  has  been  so  in  the  in- 
vestigations of  the  facts  of  death.  This  phenom- 
enon is  so  closely  connected  with  the  phenomenon 
we  call  life,  that  in  order  to  understand  the  one, 


298  RANCH     LIFE 

it  is  necessary  to  know  also  the  visible  factors  of 
the  other.  Hence  biology,  or  the  science  of  life, 
has  made  wonderful  advancement  in  the  last  half 
century. 

It  is  established  that  all  life  forms,  from  the 
almost  imperceptible  lichen  that  makes  only  a  lit- 
tle colored  spot  on  the  exposed  rocks  on  the  tops  of 
mountains  and  in  the  Arctic  regions,  to  the  most 
intellectual  human  being,  are  composed  of  just 
two  things,  matter  and  motion;  that  matter  is 
what  may  be  termed  consolidated  motion;  that 
motion  is  cosmic  energy.  Therefore,  in  their  ulti- 
mate meaning  both  are  one.  Two  other  facts 
have  also  been  established.  Matter  is  indestructi- 
ble and  motion,  or  energy,  is  never  lost  and  never 
created.  Therefore  the  term  death  does  not  apply 
to  these  constituent  elements  of  every  organism. 
Immortality  is  thus  established  for  the  only  two 
things  that  enter  into  the  making  up  of  all  forms, 
whether  they  are  organic  or  inorganic.  Matter 
and  motion  make  up  the  universe,  that  is,  space 
and  its  contents,  so  far  as  the  human  senses  can 
penetrate.  Therefore  all  life  forms,  wherever  they 
exist,  being  only  temporary  combinations  of  these 
two  universal  things,  viz.:  matter  and  motion, 
have  come  into  being  by  the  condensation  of  that 
matter  and  motion,  which  have  been  dissipated 
from  other  life  forms,  that  have  ceased  to  exist, 
that  is,  have  died. 

From  this  explanation,  which  is  too  condensed 


DEATH  299 

in  form,  perhaps,  to  be  very  clear,  it  follows  that 
what  we  call  death  is  only  a  change  of  form  of 
the  matter  and  motion  of  the  body  and  that  the 
essential  things  of  which  our  bodies  are  composed, 
never  die.  In  this  sense  science  agrees  with  the- 
ology in  the  theory  of  immortality.  There  is  a 
constant  succession  of  life  forms  on  the  globe 
made  possible  only  by  the  alternate  phenomena  we 
call  birth  and  death.  Birth  is  not  possible  without 
death.  The  two  go  hand  in  hand,  the  one  as  neces- 
sary to  existence  as  the  other.  This  is  the  true 
scientific  meaning  of  death.  It  is  part  of  and 
necessary  to  life.  It  is  not  intended  by  this  that 
the  death  of  a  single  organism  is  necessary  to  the 
life  of  that  organism.  But  the  death  of  any  organ- 
ism is  necessary  to  the  life  of  the  other  organisms 
that  may  subsequently  be  formed.  There  would  be 
no  general  succession  of  life  on  this  globe,  without 
the  death,  at  some  time,  of  all  the  organisms  that 
come  into  existence. 

If  these  statements  are  true  there  certainly  is 
a  very  important  human  lesson  to  be  derived  from 
them.  If  they  should  become  apparent  to  the  ma- 
jority of  mankind  then  the  present  attitude  to- 
wards death  must  become  greatly  changed.  Death 
will  be  looked  upon  as  natural  and  not  mysterious. 
If  it  is  necessary  in  the  support  of  life  in  the  ag- 
gregate, then  in  the  abstract  it  should  not  be  de- 
plored. But  notwithstanding  these  general  prin- 
ciples, we  do  deplore  death,  because  it  deprives  us 


300  RANCH      LIFE 

of  the  society  of  our  friends.  It  takes  away 
from  us  the  pleasure  of  social  and  intellectual  in- 
tercourse with  those  we  love.  It  will  eventually 
take  us  away  from  the  pleasures,  the  sweetness 
of  life  and  reduce  each  of  us  to  inorganic  matter, 
without  motion.  In  these  senses  death  will  always 
be  repulsive  to  mankind.  We  love  the  blessed 
springtime  because  it  is  the  season  of  birth.  Na- 
ture is  then  bringing  life  into  the  world.  On  the 
contrary  winter  is  the  season  of  death,  when  the 
life  forms  that  came  into  existence  in  the  spring- 
time are  dead.  Yet  not  forever  dead.  Springtime 
follows  the  death  of  winter  and  new  forms  more 
beautiful  and  more  useful  than  the  old  ones  again 
gladden  our  senses.  This  succession  could  not  oc- 
cur unless  death,  the  repulsive,  abides  side  by 
side  with  birth,  the  attractive  and  pleasure  giving. 
That  is,  without  winter  there  would  be  no  spring. 
This  theory  of  the  necessary  existence  of  that 
phenomenon  called  death  is  in  accordance  with  the 
observed  facts,  in  that  great  panorama,  called 
Nature. 


A   SIXTH   SENSE 


("Phychologists  are  tending  toward  a  belief 
that  there  is  a  sixth  sense  and  that  it  is  most  im- 
portant of  all.  That  all  men  receive  impressions 
that  do  not  come  through  seeing,  smelling,  tasting 
or  feeling,  can  hardly  be  denied.  One  meets  a  man 
or  woman  and  gets  an  impression  that  he  or  she 
is  honest  or  dishonest,  selfish  or  benevolent,  an 
intriguer  or  open-minded,  and  the  impression 
comes  through  some  other  channel  than  the  five 
senses. 

Then  sometimes  a  whole  community  is  ob- 
sessed with  one  idea.  It  may  be  art,  or  a  real 
estate  speculation,  but  all  receive  impressions 
very  much  alike.  This  impression  is  not  conveyed 
to  the  brain  by  any  of  the  five  senses,  yet  it  carries 
as  complete  an  idea  as  that  of  heat  or  cold 
which  is  conveyed  by  the  sense  of  feeling.  Such 
things  have  been  called  psychological  waves,  but 
a  psychological  wave  is  not  perceived  by  any  one 
of  the  five  senses.  The  theory  of  a  sixth  sense 
rests  on  much  more  substantial  grounds  than  that 
of  'the  fourth  dimension'  over  which  there  has 
been  much  academic  discussion" — Omaha  World- 
Herald.) 


302  RANCH      LIFE 

No  published  work  of  an  eminent  psychologist 
mentions  a  sixth  sense.  The  paragraph  quoted 
above  is  likely  a  fair  sample  of  the  thoughts  of 
newspaper  writers  upon  that  subject  and  some 
members  of  the  literary  clubs  argue  in  favor  of 
telepathy  being  a  sixth  sense.  Bnt  there  is  no 
foundation  in  science  for  such  a  proposition.  The 
writer  quoted  above  is  very  unfortunate  in  his  il- 
lustrations. Notwithstanding  he  says  the  impres- 
sions mentioned  are  not  conveyed  to  the  brain  by 
any  of  the  five  senses,  yet  they  are  so  conveyed. 
When  one  meets  a  fellow-being  whatever  impres- 
sion he  receives  comes  from  the  sense  of  sight. 
However  complicated  or  abstruse  the  consequent 
conception,  it  is  the  result  of  sense  impression, 
calling  up  by  the  association  cross  nerve-fibers  of 
the  brain  previous  impressions  of  a  similar  kind. 
The  image  of  the  object  seen  and  the  association 
image  of  former  experience  of  the  same  kind,  such 
as  the  physical  marks  of  the  face,  head,  walk  and 
general  mien  of  men,  coalesce  into  an  image  on  the 
brain  of  the  probable  character  of  the  person  ob- 
served. The  subtle  conceptions  thus  formed  from 
such  impressions  are  frequently  called  intuitions, 
but  they  are  not  a  sixth  sense.  Intuition,  how- 
ever, comes  from  sense-impressions.  Only  the 
person  of  considerable  experience  of  sense  impres- 
sions ever  has  intuitions.  Babes,  being  without 
experience,  have  none.  Instincts  are  inherited 
sense-impressions  of  the  race.  The  habits  of  birds, 


A    SIXTH    SENSE  303 

in  accurately  catching  flies  or  insects  on  first 
emerging  from  their  shells,  or  in  nest  building, 
are  the  inherited  tendencies  of  the  race  of  birds 
acquired  in  unknown  centuries  of  time,  from  the 
beginning  of  true  bird  life.  Such  instincts  come 
through  the  senses  of  the  bird's  ancestors. 

The  harmonious  working  together  of  the  five 
senses  produces  conception,  sometimes  so  ob- 
scurely connected  with  sense  impressions  that  at 
first  view  they  appear  to  have  no  such  connection. 
But  they  always  do  have,  and  so  far  in  the  ex- 
istence of  the  human  race  the  five  senses  have 
been  amply  sufficient  for  the  evolution  and  per- 
petuation of  the  race.  Memory  is  the  power  of 
the  brain  to  recall  the  experiences  of  the  past  as 
if  they  were  present;  and  reason,  which  is  the 
power  of  seeing  the  unknown  from  the  known, 
may  be  said  to  present  the  future,  as  if  present. 
But  both  of  these  come  to  us  only  by  the  experi- 
ences we  have  had  through  our  senses  and  cannot 
exist  without  ample  former  sense  impressions. 
All  the  powers  of  the  brain  are  simply  the  result 
of  the  correspondence  of  the  brain  through  the 
five  senses  with  its  environment.  Some  brains 
have  a  very  wide  and  complex  environment; 
others  a  narrow,  simple  one.  The  kind  of  corre- 
spondence depends  upon  the  power  of  the  brain, 
resulting  from  two  sources,  viz. :  the  inherited  or- 
gan and  its  education,  through  the  five  senses,  by 
schools,  or  by  every  day  experience.  John  Stuart 


304  RANCH      LIFE 

Mill,  the  philosopher  and  logician,  has  said,  "the 
notion  that  truths  external  to  the  mind  may  be 
known  by  intuition,  or  consciousness,  independent- 
ly of  observation  and  experience,  is,  I  am  per- 
suaded, in  these  times,  the  great  intellectual  sup- 
port of  false  doctrines  and  institutions.  By  the 
aid  of  this  theory,  every  inveterate  belief,  and 
every  intense  feeling,  of  which  the  origin  is  not 
remembered,  is  enabled  to  dispense  with  the  obli- 
gation of  justifying  itself  by  reason." 

William  James,  the  psychologist,  perhaps  the 
highest  authority  on  this  subject  in  the  United 
States,  in  his  book  'The  Meaning  of  Truth,"  says, 
"Our  ideas  and  concepts  and  scientific  theories 
pass  for  true,  only  so  far  as  they  harmoniously 
lead  back  to  the  world  of  sense." 


THE  NEBULAR  THEORY 


A  writer  on  chemistry  says  that  when  Lord 
Rosse's  telescope  was  installed,  it  was  found  that 
many  nebulae  were  resolvable  into  stars.  This 
fact  gave  the  nebular  theory  of  the  origin  of  stel- 
lar globes  a  temporary  set-back.  But  the  spect- 
roscope soon  found  among  these  nebulae  some 
that  were  true  clouds  of  incandescent  gas.  But, 
lo  and  behold — they  were  of  the  simplest  compo- 
sition; hydrogen  and  nitrogen  were  their  chief 
constituents.  How  then  could  worlds  like  ours 
originate  from  them?  Only  upon  the  theory  that 
substances  are  chemically  built  up  from  one  or 
two  simple  elements,  perhaps  from  hydrogen 
alone,  that  being  the  lighest.  In  other  words,  that 
all  combinations  of  matter  are  resolvable  ulti- 
mately into  a  single  type  of  molecule  or  atom, 
which  accounts  for  the  uniformity  of  nature. 

So  it  was  with  the  theory  of  a  substance  called 
ether,  that  is  supposed  to  occupy  space  and  all 
substances.  The  theory  of  light  being  produced 
by  undulation  made  it  necessary  to  assume  a  sub- 
stance in  which  the  motion  producing  light,  heat, 
etc.,  could  make  undulatory  waves.  But  if  that 


306  RANCH      LIFE 

substance  was  composed  of  atoms,  like  all  other 
matter,  it  could  not  fill  all  space.  There  would  be 
interstices  unfilled  between  these  tactical  parti- 
cles. So  it  was  assumed  that  ether  must  be  a 
homogenous,  imponderable  gas,  continuous  in 
space  and  that  filled  all  space. 


BOOMERANG  FEATURES  OF  WAR 


The  means  of  distribution  of  men  and  of  the 
handiwork  of  men  contribute  to  the  permanent 
establishment  of  peace.  The  interests  of  every  na- 
tion are  so  widely  spread  by  the  facilities  of  com- 
merce that  in  whatever  direction  a  great  nation 
should  make  war  it  would  be  like  the  boomerang, 
striking  back  to  the  aggressor.  If  Germany  should 
make  war  on  England,  land  its  army  on  the  island 
and  loot  the  Bank  of  England,  it  would  break 
every  bank  in  Berlin.  Should  England  make  war 
on  the  United  States  and  bombard  New  York 
City,  she  would  destroy  as  much  property  belong- 
ing to  Englishmen  as  she  would  that  of  Ameri- 
cans. Wherever  these  nations  would  make  war 
they  would  be  destroying  their  own  market.  Per- 
haps the  Balkans  were  justified  in  the  war  against 
Turkey,  because  Turkey  was  a  merciless  tyrant 
not  longer  to  be  endured.  But  the  powers  should 
not  now  interfere  except  to  see  that  the  Turks  do 
not  regain  that  which  they  have  lost,  and  only  to 
see  that  the  Balkans  get  the  full  territory  their 
arms  have  conquered. 


KEPLER'S  THREE  LAWS  OF 
PLANETARY  MOTION 


First — The  orbits  of  planets  are  not  circles, 
but  ellipses  with  two  foci,  the  sun  being  at  one 
focus. 

Second — The  radius  vector  of  the  plane  of  a 
planet's  orbit  passes  over  the  same  area,  in  the 
same  time,  at  all  parts  of  the  orbit. 

Third — The  square  of  the  planet's  period  is 
proportionate  to  the  cube  of  the  planet's  mean  dis- 
tance from  the  sun. 

From  these  laws,  Newton  calculated  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  attraction  of  gravitation.  Yet  Kep- 
ler, who  lived  from  1571  to  1630,  in  Germany,  was 
always  impecunious,  and  spent  half  his  life  trying 
to  collect  a  wretchedly  small  salary  of  a  King 
Rudolph — eight  thousand  crowns  were  due  him 
at  his  death. 

Kepler  although  a  profound  mathematician 
and  astronomer,  was  exceedingly  superstitious. 
Although  he  had  the  ability  to  discover  the  above 
three  laws  of  planetary  motion,  yet  he  believed 
that  such  planets  and  all  stars  were  held  in  place 
by  an  angel  at  each  star. 


KEPLER'S    THREE    LAWS  309 

Sir  Isaac  Newton,  who  was  also  a  believer  in 
the  supernatural,  discovered  that  stars  and  plan- 
ets were  not  held  in  place  by  angels,  but  naturally 
by  the  attraction  of  gravitation. 


THE  WONDERFUL  CAPABILITIES 
OF  THE  BRAIN 


So  numerous  are  the  nerves  in  the  brain  that 
a  man  could  not  count  them  in  a  lifetime.  One  has 
only  to  think  of  the  infinite  number  of  combina- 
tions possible  to  the  molecules  of  these  innumera- 
ble strands  of  mobile  matter  to  perceive  the  al- 
most infinite  ideas  and  images  the  "mind"  is  capa- 
ble of  forming.  The  wonder  is  not  that  the 
psychic  effects  are  so  numerous  and  wonderful, 
but  that  they  are  not  more  profound  and  that 
knowledge  is  so  limited.  A  knowledge  of  the 
anatomy  and  physiology  of  the  brain  in  its  psych- 
ical power  of  the  multiplication  of  effects  by  the 
physical  explosion  of  its  organic  molecules,  carries 
with  it  the  absolute  exclusion  of  any  idea  that 
other  than  these  material  combinations  and  ex- 
plosions is  requisite  in  producing  what  are  called 
mental  effects. 


EARLY  ADVOCATES  OF  WOMEN'S 
SUFFRAGE 


It  is  a  prevalent  idea  that  the  question  of 
woman's  suffrage  is  of  recent  origin,  but  the  fol- 
lowing note  will  show  that  it  existed  in  some  form 
in  England  at  an  early  date. 

John  Stuart  Mill,  as  early  as  1823,  expressed 
himself  in  favor  of  woman's  suffrage  in  England. 
See  P.  104,  "Autobiography."  Jeremy  Bentham 
agreed  with  him. 

In  politics,  also,  Mr.  Mill  and  his  disciples  had 
unbounded  confidence  in  two  things:  Representa- 
tive government,  and  complete  freedom  of  discus- 
sion. Bentham  looked  upon  a  king  as  noxious. 

Mill  advocated  woman  suffrage  in  parliament 
in  1866. 


